Beloved
by alexis payton
Summary: AU. Detective Claire Redfield had thought it was impossible for her life to get any more miserable, until a serial killer decides to target victims who are all somehow connected to her and she continues to unravel even further... Clairice Femmeslash Vampire!Alice
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I was busy outlining a Clairice Aberfield FF set during the first RE movie and the following AU distracted me, mainly because I'm obsessed with the lesbian vampire and needed to scratch my itch *WANKY*.**

**Warning: SNVL. No Zombies. A bit darker than I'm used to writing Clairice, but diluted with some humour here and there so I don't depress myself.**

**Chapter 1**

**My stubborn skin is wearing thin**

The rhythmic clicking of heels down the long corridors of the Umbrella Corporation had every employee within earshot glancing up from their computer screens or the conversations they were having. It wasn't so much the sound, but rather the direction it was heading towards that caught their attention. From behind the large clear windows offering a view of numerous sets of cubicles, the workforce grew instantly quiet as those with enough sense summarily averted their gazes again, whereas others - who were simply unable to do what their instincts told them to - continued to gape at the tall lanky brunette sauntering past them toward the executive suites.

She wore a skin tight little black dress - like she wore most days - along with a thin silver chained necklace with a tiny ruby red scarab with silver legs adorning her neckline. Her hair fell in soft dark brown curls just below her jawline. With the added lift of her stiletto heels, she towered over most of them at about six feet.

Tammy, the Chairman of Umbrella Corporation's personal assistant, anxiously watched the hypnotic sway of the woman's hips as she approached the closed doors of her boss's office. With great difficulty she tore her gaze from the slender waist till they locked onto enchanting green eyes which were staring toward the office doors ahead with an intensive determination.

"I'm sorry Miss." The PA blurted in a panic. "You can't go in there."

No matter how attractive this woman was, she was not allowed to disturb Albert Wesker. Her new boss gave her the creeps and Tammy was not about to upset him her very first week on the job.

The stylish brunette halted a few feet from the door and gracefully turned to acknowledge the PA's existence for the first time. Her expressionless eyes bore mercilessly into the already anxious girl's faltering gaze. Tammy glanced toward the corridor where she could make out through the class partitions a few of the numerous Umbrella employees. _No one_ was looking her way; everyone was quietly pre-occupied with their work. It was the first time in her four days on the job that that had happened; usually the team looked for any excuse to distract them from their seemingly boring duties and responsibilities. Some, by their own admission, considered an opportunity to leer at a beautiful woman the highlight of their day.

With increased nervousness, Tammy looked back at the statuesque brunette who was still regarding her with an air of sagacious omnipotence and unmasked cynicism.

"You are new." The woman stated dryly in an unusually gruff, yet naturally sensual voice.

The girl nodded even though it hadn't been a question. She wasn't sure why the woman was affecting her so. Her heart was racing and goose bumps had spread all over her arms and legs at hearing the saucy intonation.

"I-I-If I may ask your n-name?" She stuttered in a squeaky voice not even she recognized, "Perhaps we c-could schedule an a-p-pointment?" She finally managed to get out, rushing to open up her boss's calendar on her computer to set up the entry.

Her gaze lifted as she heard the almost nerve-wracking clicking of the woman's heels and followed the woman's path as she slowly, yet with long purposeful strides, made her way around the PA's desk to join Tammy behind it.

"Alice." The woman husked, after coming to a halt only inches away.

The PA could feel the heat radiating from the woman's body as she turned away, slightly flushed and started typing the name into the first available slot.

"Surname?" She stared at the screen even though most of her senses were focused on the woman who had moved to stand directly behind her.

Tammy glanced up again to see all her colleagues still, very purposely, not looking in their direction.

"Abernathy." It came out as little more than a breath over the PA's shoulder, causing Tammy to shudder involuntarily.

"M-May I ask with what this is in regards to…" The PA whispered and then moaned as a slender arm snaked around her waist, pulling her firmly into Alice Abernathy's front.

Alice's other hand moved up to gently place a lock of long blonde hair behind the PA's ear, exposing her neck.

"To apologise for eating his ignorant PA." Alice casually whispered in her ear, before she unhinged her jaws, uncovered her fangs and dug into the surprised girl's neck.

Tammy cried out in pain and then groaned in pleasure a few seconds later, clinging onto the arms that held her so firmly, yet still so very gently. She'd known what she'd signed up for. It had been exhaustively explained to her. She had been scared at first, but Mister Wesker had assured her that she wouldn't be harmed. And yet, had she known how good it would feel to be fed on by a vampire, she would've insisted on being harmed as often as possible.

"_Oh god."_ She moaned pressing her back into Alice's front, not noticing the door to her boss's office opening.

"If you'd be so kind as to keep her alive, Sister, I'd much appreciate it." Albert Wesker drawled with his trademark smirk plastered on his face. "Attaining decent help these days is a rather arduous task."

Alice let out a loud purr which vibrated deep from within her chest, causing another delicious shudder from the PA. The brunette vampire disengaged her lengthy fangs from Tammy and gave a long languid lick over the bleeding neck of her willing victim. She'd avoided the carotid; her intention had been to just have a taste, not fully feed on the young blonde.

Wesker handed his sister a handkerchief, which she accepted with a childish role of her eyes, yet still daintily patted her mouth clean.

"Go down to Medical." Wesker instructed the PA who held the side of her bleeding neck, starting to somewhat coming out of the spell Alice had seemingly put her under.

The girl nodded furiously. "I'm _so_ sorry Mister Wesker. I didn't know Miss Abernathy was your sister." The PA apologised, stepping awkwardly passed Alice, ignoring the throbbing between her thighs as she hurried to do as instructed.

"And now you will never forget it." Alice purred after her with a lazy grin, showing off a mouth filled with blood stained teeth and two noticeably long canines.

…..

A highly amused Wesker guided his sister into his office and away from prying eyes and ears. The PA would be fine, and he had been meaning to properly initiate her into her new role. Understanding was as important as confidentiality, in her contract. Not everyone in the company was privy to his true nature. Most suspected, few dared query more. Those who had done so and tried to use it against him have yet to be found again.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Sister?" He asked taking hold of her hands and kissing her on both cheeks.

Centuries of pseudonyms had them referring to each other as Brother and Sister to reflect the continuity in the unwavering bond that was their relationship.

Alice rapidly ran her tongue repeatedly over her teeth to swallow down every delicious drop of Tammy. After she was satisfied she'd cleaned up properly she flashed her brother a pearly white grin.

"It has been months since I informed you that I had found a suitable companion." Alice started as she went to recline in her brother's big leather desk chair while he stood on the other side of the large glass table looking at her expectantly. "Well I have finally decided on a strategy to fertilely court her."

Wesker's amused smirk returned.

"And I gather this will not involve merely sending flowers and extending dinner invitations?"

Alice chuckled from low within her chest as she closed her eyes enjoying the new rush of blood tingling through her body combined with images of her intended companion.

"You know me Brother," she smirked, her eyes still closed like she was meditating on something wonderful, "she is far too special for the unimaginative and mundane."

….

The sleek black Maserati Quattroporte cruised down the neon lit streets of uptown Raccoon City. Alice sat poised in the backseat, absently fingering the red leather which covered most of the stylish interior of the luxury sedan. She was yet again clad in a LBD, which remained her favourite choice of clothing even when she was just at home at the mansion.

Centuries of having to hide her sensuality behind a mass of drapes had been enough. Not that having to hide her figure had ever deterred the vampire in luring her conquests before. Since the nineteen sixties, when the majority of women – albeit mostly westernized women - finally discovered they also had a brain and shouldn't be afraid to use it, Alice had finally started enjoying social gatherings again. It wasn't as much that she was an advocate for female liberation, but rather that she was elated that she could finally publicly express herself in a manner that wouldn't have half the law enforcement in the city try to throw her in a dungeon or attempt to burn her at the stake, in protest of her beguiling ways.

And yet, now at the beginning of the twenty first century, all that liberation, all that innovation that had completely transformed the world in the twentieth century, seemed to have mellowed out. Though the strife for Money and Power was still in full force, the means to procure this status had become too distasteful for the vampire to willingly delve into herself. Rather, she found the type of humans involved in such dealings rather distasteful. She was grateful that her brother had no such qualms as he immersed himself in the production of Pharmaceuticals and the trade of black market weapons and arms. His desire to be on top of the world as well as the food chain, had made Umbrella Corporation and international success and Albert Wesker's face was on every magazine cover as the most influential man of 'his generation'.

As always, his sister supported him, and was happy to play around in his large shadow, where she had the freedom to indulge her vices in relative anonymity. Given the public figure her brother had chosen to become, Alice realised that it was but a matter of time before the vampire world was outed to the entire human population. It had become an option for them after all. One she wasn't entirely sure of.

A select few, in very high places, with very deep pockets, were already aware of this fact. State officials especially, didn't seem to care given the large amounts in taxes and 'donations' the Umbrella Corporation remunerated. She was comforted that should things go sour, they had enough resources to easily disappear and merely reinvent themselves again.

"Should I wait?" The driver of the Maserati – a handsome bald man – inquired, eyeing his passenger in the rear-view mirror.

"No, you go and enjoy yourself Luther." Alice smiled sweetly. "Just remember your task in the morning."

He nodded once, before exiting the car walking around the hood to open the door for his passenger. Alice reached out and placed her hand in his as she stepped onto the curb in front of one of the more exclusive clubs in Raccoon City. The line outside stretched half a block and she smirked when the bouncer already had his hand on the rope to offer her entrance.

She stared up at the large pink neon sign that read _Wonderland._ Always having been a great lover of irony, she had thoroughly enjoyed coming to this particular establishment under her current alias. Luther escorted her up to the bouncer and watched with most of the crowd gathered outside, until the sexy vampire disappeared into the darkness of the club.

Once back behind the wheel, Luther debated on whether he shouldn't rather wait. He realised what was going to happen. So many things could go wrong and he didn't want Alice's plan to be ruined, because that would surely mean hell to pay for whoever had hindered the vampire's very elaborate courting ritual.

He wasn't even surprised at the outlandishness of Alice's plan. He'd known the woman almost all his life and if there was one word to describe her,_ ostentatious_ would be it. Brilliant would be another. What made his mistress such a formidable hunter was that her sex appeal often fooled her prey into feeling safe, it blinded them to the often methodical way she enticed them to get what she wanted. These days though, the vampire often complained about the ease of her conquests. In fact, Alice often ranted about how she couldn't even call them_ conquests_ at all.

Sighing rather loudly, he started the engine and drove off; thinking it best to do exactly what his employer had told him to do.

….

Alice had only been made aware of the clubs' existence a few months prior, when Luther had told her that her intended frequented the establishment on occasion. Not very often though he'd warned, but Alice hoped that her plan to gain her beloved's attention would go off as smoothly as she needed it too.

After decades of ennui, all it took was a vision of one woman to ignite her passions once again. A vision of a stranger, yet she couldn't stop thinking about the woman for the last nine months. It had taken the vampire _that _long to try and gauge enough of the woman's character to plan an approach that would have the most favourable outcome in the long run.

She easily manoeuvred through the crowds who parted for her as though they could sense the predator stalking amongst them. Both attracted and awed by the stunning creature elegantly weaving through the masses. The vampire swaggered up to the bar and was instantly met by an eager barman in spite of the numerous other patrons who had already been vying for his attention.

Alice smiled a smile both charming and beautiful that still managed to conceal her most notorious of assets. The charismatic smile had taken a few years to perfect, and regardless of the more diverse world she lived in at present, the attention her canines attracted was almost always unwanted.

"Scotch." She ordered and smirked when a few hands shot out at the bartender offering to pay for Alice's drink. The bartender put on a smug expression, then leaned over the counter and proudly announced that her drink would be on the house.

She was used to the attention, it happened everywhere she went. She had often considered wearing some curtains, perhaps her LBD was sending the wrong message. But then she remembered why she found herself in the skin tight outfit to begin with. It was part of her emancipation. She wouldn't allow anyone to dictate what she wore, however indirectly that may be. She'd killed quite a few who thought the way she dressed gave them the right to take liberties with her body. She'd killed considerably more, for way less of a reason.

Life had become too easy and Alice was feeling lonely. She had her brother and Luther of course. But she was bored with the luxury her money and beauty provided. She needed a challenge. She needed to engage her beloved before she succumbed to the dreariness of existing when you had everything and could get everything your heart desired.

"Hi." A handsome man spoke next to her.

He was dressed like an Abercrombie & Fitch model and Alice judged him at about twenty five years old, five years younger than her physical appearance would suggest she was. She was mildly impressed by his arrogance, but was distracted by a mass of curly red hair before she could toy with him a little.

Forgetting instantly about her admirer's existence, she allowed her eyes to follow the redhead through the crowds as she hopped up on a chair at a table on the other side of the dance floor, joining her group friends. Alice was hoping for more of a likeness, but she guessed this one would have to do. If she didn't start putting her plan into action tonight, her mounting impatience threatened to ruin everything.

It had been nine long months after all.

In spite of her exasperation though, she quietly sat and ignored the various suitors who attempted a conversation with her as she subtly watched the redhead for another forty minutes as the girl bounced happily around the dance floor, before excusing herself to the restrooms.

Alice was pleased that this particular group of friends didn't choose to relieve themselves in packs like so many others did and lithely slipped off her chair and disappeared through the mass of bodies and into the crowded bathroom, in pursuit of her prey.

Surprisingly, women's reactions to the statuesque brunette weren't that much different from men's. Though there sometimes seemed to be a raging battle among the ladies on whether they wanted to be Alice, fuck her or strangle her. Those of the more narcissistic in nature would settle for being outright bitchy and Alice enjoyed breaking down those ones the most. A particular group, who now stood to the side of the lavish restrooms, eyeing the vampire with unmasked resentment, would've been fun to teach their place was it not for the appearance of the curly redhead exiting a stall and walking over to the basin right next to Alice to wash her hands.

The young woman looked up into the mirror to find Alice's intense stare on her and she blushed instantly, pretending to continue washing her already clean hands. Alice grinned internally; this would be a lot easier than she thought.

"Hi." Alice rasped, her lips pulling into a smirk at the girl's increased heart rate.

She said nothing more, allowing the young woman to register what was happening. The redhead looked up into the mirror again, face still flushed and smiling shyly.

"Hi." She breathed back, tugging a wild coppery curl behind her ear.

Alice stepped closer, her heels allowing her to tower over the five foot five redhead.

"I absolutely adore your hair." Alice murmured as she reached out to tuck a few strands behind the blushing girl's other ear, purposely leaving her fingers to linger behind the shell.

"Thanks." The redhead's breathed and her eyes briefly fluttered closed, before turning from the basin to finally look directly at the vampire.

Alice kept her long slender fingers where they were, searching the cobalt eyes which were staring up at her with unabashed wonderment, before gently tracing down the girl's jawline, allowing her thumb to brush over a freckled cheek.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Alice asked softly.

Normally Alice would have to spend a little more time working her charm, but judging from the dilated pupils, flushed skin and the faint scent of arousal permeating from the younger woman, Alice thought it wouldn't hurt to speed things up a little.

She'd been patient enough.

The redhead looked justifiably taken aback by the vampire's directness and tried to stutter out an objection that just couldn't seem to manifest itself. After giving her a few moments wherein the girl tried and failed to decline, Alice brushed her fingers underneath the girl's chin and tilted her face up before ducking her head to delicately place a kiss on her lips.

The vampire was aware of the stares they were receiving; some in distaste, others in astonishment, and even more with an envious curiosity. Alice realised she couldn't draw too much attention to herself just yet, well to herself in the company of this particular redhead, so she broke from the chaste kiss and brushed her lips past a flushed cheek.

"Meet me in front in five minutes." Alice whispered and delighted in the trembling frame against her.

She turned around and walked out the door. The humans parting as she did. Five minutes meant that the girl would have to follow as soon as she regained her equilibrium once again. There would be no time to go tell her friends. Even if she did, none of them had seen her with Alice. Not that it would've mattered in any case, but she was determined to leave as little a mess to clean up as she could.

She waited outside for two minutes before the redhead burst out the front door and into the cool air like a bat out of hell. Alice's smirk grew to the side as she started down the sidewalk, the click of her heels attracting too much attention and she was loathe to admit that Luther should've stayed, but she didn't want to overly involve him in what would come next.

She clutched her purse under her arm and continued her long strides even when the redhead fell into step next to her, having a difficult time trying to keep up. So focused was the redhead on not falling behind that she was taken completely by surprise when Alice suddenly pinned her against the wall of a deserted alley, when only moments before they had still been out on the pavement.

She moaned out loud at the force and Alice wolfishly grinned, revealing her carnivorous canines.

"_Cool_." The redhead chortled and Alice had to swallow down her irritation at the girl's naivety.

She tore the girl's top in her frustration, the redhead responded by digging her fingers into Alice's brown locks and pushing her breast into the vampire's mouth, clearly having no qualms with being topless in a dirty alley.

Alice growled around the hardened nipple, trying to calm herself and focus. This wasn't just another meal, she had to do this one _just right_.

She ripped off the girl's jeans, who was so far gone already that she didn't even become suspicious at the unnatural show of strength. Alice went down on her knees, breathing in the redhead's arousal, relishing it, wanting to taste, but she was abstaining from that for now. An incentive to keep her focused on her true target. Instead she shoved two fingers into the sopping redhead, carefully listening for anyone who would hear her victim's loud cries of pleasure.

She started an achingly slow rhythm as she kissed the inside of the redhead's thigh. The younger woman tugged at Alice's hair, clearly craving her tongue, but instead of complying, the vampire parted her jaws and sunk her teeth into a milky white thigh.

"Oh _shit_!" The redhead screamed at the overwhelming wave of pleasure caused by the vampire's fangs and fingers inside of her.

…

Carrying the dead weight over her shoulder was easy... Trying to stay out of sight was a more daunting task and Alice was happy to finally reach the beginning of the Arklay Forest. She couldn't remember a time she had been this excited. With Luther's help, it wouldn't be long until her declaration was discovered.

Alice couldn't wait for the day that she could finally speak to her Beloved.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Pretty as a heart ache**

Detective Claire Redfield crouched next to the passenger window of the large black SUV that stood parked outside the house of James Otto right smack in the middle of Suburbia. He was a drug dealer by trade, but turned murderer when one of his junkie clients couldn't pay up. Claire glanced over at her partner, she could see the excitement on Carlos's face as they waited for the S.W.A.T team to go in and secure the perimeter. Claire longed for the days when she still got _that_ high on the danger of their job.

She was still a great detective though; it was thanks to her hard work and intuition that they'd even been able to link Otto with the victim in the first place. Out the corner of her eye, she saw the perpetrator half falling out the window of his house and making a run for it, clumsily jumping over a neighbours' fence.

Without a word, Claire turned and paralleled his progress down the street at an impressive speed. She loved running, she enjoyed pumping her arms and her legs till they ached and her lungs burned. She enjoyed the rush of the blood surging through her veins, reminding her that she was actually still alive.

She cut through a driveway and jumped over a fence to come up behind Otto and get him in her sights again. Claire had no doubt that Carlos was behind her. He always had her back. She decreased the distance between her and the perp easily, not drawing her weapon as he wasn't visibly armed. She wouldn't risk doing anything that could compromise this case. He had killed a fourteen year old boy just to send a message to his other clients. A fourteen year old who was coerced into using the drugs by Otto in the first place. A fourteen year old with no form of income to actually pay what he owed.

Claire found herself bristling and welcomed the unprofessional rage that started building within her. It's the only emotion she dared give power to after everything that had happened. She halted when Otto ran himself into a dead end and smiled eerily when a knife was then drawn and pointed at her. He was a skinny, scruffy little man, she instantly knew that she could easily take him on.

"Back off Bitch!" Otto sneered.

She moved forward quickly with no regard to her own safety and grabbed and twisted the wrist which held the knife with a loud crack in one smooth movement. Otto's scream was sure to alert her partner so Claire closed her hand over his on the handle of the knife so Otto wouldn't drop it as she started punching him in the kidneys and gut before finally shoving her palm into his face, effectively breaking his nose. The redhead enjoyed the fleeting satisfaction the sound of the crackling bones and the sight of the blood evoked, before she quickly brought Otto's knife over the front of her arm and lightly cut herself with it then promptly punched the confused man so hard, he fell woozily to the ground.

"Redfield!" Carlos yelled from a few yards away.

"Over here!" Claire shouted back as she held her hand over her bleeding arm.

Carlos came up to her with clear concern.

Everyone knew when Claire had switched off, no one really blamed her. They thought for sure she would go off the deep end, commit suicide like most cops do. Instead she had seemed to opt for the lesser of two evils and became an alcoholic, another activity most cops tended towards given the nature of the job.

Carlos looked his partner over; she still had that feral glare in her eyes like she wasn't quite finished with the perp yet. He saw it often, he said nothing though and he told no one. He covered for her even though he wasn't quite sure how Claire had managed to pass each of her quarterly psych evaluations for the last three years. Well he was, his partner was brilliant, but weren't psychiatrists supposed to have ways to see through that? Then again, what would a psychiatrist know about what a detective saw and had to deal with on a day to day basis in the Homicide division of the Raccoon City Police Department? If they had known, they would never have sent Claire back in.

But Claire needed the job. She needed the purpose. Or she would've never survived what happened and for Carlos that was what mattered. Not to mention that his partner was great at catching bad guys. Well, the detective also needed Claire at his side, where she belonged.

"I'm fine. Just cuff the bastard and read him his rights." She said walking back to the house.

…

After a compulsory hospital visit resulting in an altercation with an over attentive nurse winning and finally managing to bandage Claire's arm, she was welcomed back by cheers from her colleagues at the Ennerdale Precinct. She nodded curtly in acceptance, having learned this to be the easiest response to get them to leave her alone again.

She went and sat down opposite Carlos at the large desk they both occupied.

Having calmed from the rush of chasing down and beating the crap out of James Otto, she found herself retreating back into her shell again. The irony that she had somehow managed to become an even better public servant as her mental stability continued to decrease, was not lost on her. She would've found it hilarious was she still someone in possession of even a miniscule amount of humour.

Her ears perked as Carlos' phone rang. He had been her mentor when she started as a patrol cop and now he was her partner. She kept on a brave face for him. He didn't deserve to know that she hardly slept each night. She made up flimsy excuses in response to the concerned queries regarding the dark shadows under her eyes or just flat out ignored them.

Sometimes Claire would exercise until her body was too tired to move or she would just grab a bottle of Scotch and drink herself into a coma. It was a double edge sword though, fall asleep and face the nightmares or stay awake and contend with the barrage of images in her mind that made it impossible to simply just sit back and relax.

Her drinking was careless and unethical; she'd often had to go out to a crime scene reeking of alcohol. Though the gossip mongers ate that up, she was never reprimanded beyond a few verbal warnings. Captain Douglas wouldn't dare suspend his prize detective; the one who would be receiving a Medal of Valour from the Mayor in just a few weeks' time. Claire knew she should've been fired years ago, but as she had learned in the most hardest of ways, it's not what you did, but who you knew in life that decided your fate. And having her douchebag Captain on her side, whether she asked for it or not, definitely had its perks.

Carlos deserved so much better though. He deserved a partner that he could count on. She had tried to be reassigned, but the Captain wanted her where she was, stating that if she fucked up then it would be Carlos's head on a platter. The Captain was conniving and had political aspirations that just added to his smarm. He realised that Claire didn't give a fuck what happened to herself. Carlos on the other hand, was another story.

She gave her partner a weak attempt at smile before following him out of the precinct.

…

"Looking good Valentine." Carlos remarked at Jill's bent over frame where she was examining the body at the crime scene they'd been called out to.

"I know." She replied drearily, not looking up from where she was hunched next to the victim laying nude on her back on the forest bed.

Jill was Claire's best friend. She knew more than anyone why Claire was the way she was. And she tried more than anyone to help Claire feel something other than anger. Trying to talk about it hadn't worked as Claire was a human volt of emotions, so now instead, the Medical Examiner seemed intent on dragging Claire to as many clubs as the redhead allowed and kept the detective's focus on their cases as a means of distraction.

Claire saw the fear in Jill's eyes each time she would shut out the world and stare vacantly into space, trapped by her own conscious and horrific memories. Jill was scared of losing her and the only reason Claire even bothered to pretend that she was okay was because she didn't want Jill to live with the guilt of wondering whether she could've done something _more _or _different_ to have helped her friend. Claire was all too familiar with_ that_ sort of guilt. She most certainly wouldn't wish it on the woman who had gone from being her best friend to her only family.

"What do we have?" She asked after having waited for the last of the Crime Scene Unit Techs to finish up and clear out.

They were in the woods, at the foot of the Arklay Mountains, about a mile from the road, standing at a spot that Claire once stood before. Looking around now, she realised with a sharp pang in her chest that it was the _exact_ same spot. Glancing with a carefully disguised panic only a best friend could possibly recognize, she gauged that Jill realised this too. The brunette didn't let on anything though and just went about doing her job.

"Caucasian female, early twenties, blood temp estimates time of death around 2am. Cause of Death still unknown." Jill spoke mechanically.

That is why Claire could still bare being around her. Jill didn't need constant validation. Jill did her job when it needed to be done. She didn't crowd Claire; she knew when to back off and when she could push.

"Kennedy and Ocampo have already been assigned to this case given the victim's state of undress and suspected sexual assault." Jill murmured absently, referring to the detectives of the Special Victim's Unit.

She had been the one to call Carlos, knowing that Claire needed to be there given the location. Captain Douglas wouldn't like it, but Jill Valentine didn't really give a fuck what the Captain thought.

Claire looked down at the body which had clearly been placed in its current position. The young woman lay on her back, arms crossed at her chest, hands cupping her own breasts as if to cover them. She looked asleep, peaceful. Claire envied her that. She noticed the head of fiery red hair, which seemed almost alive still in contrast to the deathly pale flesh it sprouted from. There weren't any injuries noted on the victim's skin, no signs that she had fought back or was forcibly restrained, save for a large purplish bruise on the inside of her left thigh.

Claire lowered onto her haunches trying to get a closer look.

"Hey!" Leon Kennedy reprimanded from afar. "This is our crime scene!" He needlessly explained.

Sensing the commotion from where she was interviewing a witness, his partner Rain Ocampo also stepped closer. Claire rose from her position, instantly and irrationally bristling for a fight. Had they not stood smack in the middle of a crime scene she would've attacked Leon just for raising his voice at her. And it wouldn't have been the first time she'd have done it.

"Yeah no Rizzoli and Isles role playing on this one." Detective Ocampo smirked sardonically.

Carlos's brows knitted as the innuendo flew right over his head. He was too straight laced to catch on that everyone assumed Jill was gay just because Claire seemed gay and since Jill seemed the only one that Claire let close to her, clearly they were gay with each other.

"I'm taking her home. You can come visit later." Jill told Claire ignoring the other two detectives and turning away to make arrangements for the body to be transported.

Claire ignored them too as she followed in Jill's direction to head back to the car.

"She was covered with a blanket when they found her." Jill added as Claire passed her. "Like someone had tucked her in for bed."

….

Claire walked into Jill's lab located in the basement of the Raccoon City Police Department building. She was sure Jill would have a lot to say to her in private given the location of the body and especially given what day the next day was.

"Took you long enough." Jill muttered from where she had the victim's stomach open and was examining its contents.

"Carlos gets clingy this time of year." Claire offered in explanation. "You figure out a cause of death yet?"

Jill rolled her eyes.

"You need to tell him you're gay Claire." Jill sighed.

It was clear as day that Carlos was in love with Claire. The only thing seemingly stopping him from shouting it from the rooftops, was Claire's clear non-interest in everything other than her job. And even thatwould mean nothing to her most days.

"I don't see the point in upsetting him. He's a great partner and I don't want to get used to someone new when he gets awkward and can't work with me anymore."

Carlos was _very_ religious. He was a good man, and the way he was raised taught him that certain things were just fundamentally wrong. There was no grey area with Carlos when it came to things like murder, theft and homosexuality. They all got you sent to the deepest pits of hell.

"And it's not like I'm interested or looking for anyone. I don't see why it matters. He doesn't act on his attraction, I don't have to tell him why it'll never happen." Claire didn't like anyone touching her, she couldn't even remember the last time she had sex. She had simply lost all interest. "Now please tell me you know how she died." Claire said sternly, dismissing the unnecessary topic.

"Thus far? Looks like a good old fashioned stroke."

Claire scowled, looking at the young woman with unmasked suspicion. She was in good shape, tone muscles indicated that she was physically fit.

"I _know_." Jill huffed in response to Claire's scepticism as she dug around into the open abdomen. "Can't a fuck figure it out."

"And the bruise? It looks fresh."

Jill continued her examination on the victim's stomach as she spoke.

"The femoral was missed. Two puncture wounds. She lost almost half of her body's blood content, but that wasn't the cause of death. I'm busy ruling out poison, medication, pre-existing conditions." Jill huffed again in frustration. "Waiting on genetic illness verification. If Kennedy and Ocampo could hurry the fuck up and identify her, we could get a medical history faster." She muttered.

Usually Jill would have a Cause of Death in a few seconds. Or at least a hunch on one. Claire suspected that Chief Medical Examiner enjoyed the challenge of their new case as much as she resented it.

"Was it done while she was still alive?" Claire asked her eyes still staring at the mysterious wound.

"Yes she was still alive, yet there's no sign of a struggle. I did a rape kit, no traces of semen, or vaginal tearing to a degree that would suggest it wasn't consensual. But trace bodily fluids indicate that she was definitely having sex before she died."

"Any idea what she was punctured with?"

Jill stopped what she was doing and looked poignantly at her friend.

"I'm waiting for the moulds to set, but they appear to be teeth marks." Jill answered seriously.

"Teeth marks?" Claire frowned and then her eyebrows shot up and for the first time in a very long time, Claire Redfield let out a loud laugh. Right from her stomach, causing her shoulders to shake.

Jill watched on with a mixture of amusement, disbelief and affection.

"_Fangs_? So Dracula's our killer?" Claire asked after the very short lived laugh, but an incredulous smirk was still present on her face.

"No." Jill answered nonchalantly. "Dracula bit her and probably fucked her too. She died of a massive stroke."

"'Kay... Will go share that with Carlos, hopefully someone has reported her missing and will be able to tell us where to find _Dracula_." Claire made to leave but Jill's query stopped her.

"We're not gonna talk about the location?" Jill asked cryptically.

"We can wonder about it tomorrow." Claire answered and continued her exit. "It's probably just a coincidence anyway." She mumbled as an afterthought.

"Pick you up at 8." Jill reminded as Claire just hummed her agreement and left the lab.

…..

It was late and Jill had come up with little to refute her initial assessment that a massive stroke had caused the young redhead's death. Reluctantly she pulled out her phone, scrolling down to a number and pressed the call button.

It rang four times and each time she cringed in anticipation.

"_How may I assist you Dr Valentine?"_ A haughty male voice drawled over the line.

"I found a present one of your kids left behind at the foot of the Arklay Mountains. Am I expected to bury it like the others?" She asked bitterly.

"_Shall I remind you with whom you are speaking? Should I require you to do something, I will instruct you to do so. In the interim, I suggest you do the job the good citizens of Raccoon City are relying on you for. Good night Doctor."_ He finished sternly, then hung up.

Jill groaned and laid her head onto her arms on her desk.

"Fucking great." Her voice was low and muffled through her clothes. "I'll just write in my report that the victim was assaulted by a _vampire_."

….

**A/N: This isn't a CSI FF and I'm not Gil Grissom. Don't hate. Suggestions and Corrections are welcomed though;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Some seriously depro feels in the first section of this chapter**

**Chapter 3**

**I spilled my guts on your best shoes**

Claire lay on her back, still dressed in the same clothes she had on the day before, she hadn't even bothered to remove her shoes. For the first time in hours she moves her gaze from vacantly staring at the ceiling to staring at the digital alarm clock on the pedestal next to her bed. It read 05:07. She sighed, deciding it was as good a time as any to get up, not like she would get any sleep before work anyhow.

She walked to her bathroom, slipped out of her clothes and got into the shower, just standing underneath the cold spray for a few moments, before finally making a move to start washing herself. She mechanically brushed her teeth and towel dried her hair, then dressed in a pair of black slacks and a blue shirt. After holstering her sidearm and clipping on her badge, she leaves the house at 05:43. It was the closest thing to a routine she had, an almost robotic execution that had become second nature. If she didn't have it set in place, she was certain she wouldn't have bothered leaving her house at all.

The sky that morning was ominously darkened by heavy clouds, even though it was approaching the end of Spring. Claire didn't notice, rain or sunshine, it was all the same to her. She drove her brother's yellow Hummer, the one that she almost couldn't bear to drive yet still couldn't get rid of. She pulled up at a cemetery where she sat in the car for about twenty minutes, gripping onto the steering wheel not quite sure whether she was more angry or sorrowed. Either way, the pain overwhelmed both emotions and was especially unbearable that day.

She shakily inhaled a big gulp of air and finally managed to exit the large vehicle. Walking through the array of gravestones and wooden crosses, she halted at the twin plot of her parents who had died in a car accident almost eleven years prior. She kissed her fingertips and gently pressed them against the single headstone they shared.

A few yards further on, another twin grave made her feet feel considerably heavier. These two were a lot more difficult to approach. They also shared a headstone and Claire only briefly wondered about the large arrangement of fresh flowers that had been recently placed there. It must've been her colleagues at the precinct, she thought. Reaching out a slightly trembling hand, she lightly ran her fingers over the italic engraved 'brother' and traced it down to the word 'sister'.

It had been three years and it was only the fifth time she'd visited. She couldn't stand being there, everything she felt only intensified, especially the guilt. She wished it was as easy to remember her time with them as it was remembering that one fateful day. She would never forget all that blood. She was a homicide detective, but she could've sworn she'd never seen that much blood before in her life.

She had cried that day. Well it was more like garish screams and loud desperate wails. She'd clung to her sister, soaking herself in K-Mart's blood. Funny enough, the neighbours hadn't called the police when they'd heard the gunfire, but Claire's desperate cries proved too disconcerting to just dismiss. Claire was unsure of how long she would've held onto her sister had the police not shown up. They had struggled getting her to loosen her grip and it was only when Chris's body being rolled out on a stretcher passed her by that the entirety of her loss had struck her like a bolt of lightning straight through her chest.

In her disbelief, they'd managed to separate her from K-Mart and Jill had taken hold of her. Claire had looked at her friend where the brunette had been silently sobbing as well.

"Chris too?" She'd hoarsely whispered and when Jill sombrely nodded that it was so, Claire had collapsed onto the floor, taking Jill down with her and resumed her wailing.

It felt as though she'd been crying for days when she had finally stopped a few hours later, surprising Jill where she was still holding her. Carlos had stuck around too, trying to save the crime scene and make sure Claire had his support.

But Claire hadn't cried since that day though and had focused instead on finding whoever was guilty.

Standing stoically in front of her siblings' resting place, she ineffectually searched her mind for happy memories of her sister and brother. She knew there were plenty in spite of the tragic loss of both their parents. Chris had been old enough to be appointed their legal guardian so they wouldn't be seperated. He had been in the force too. So was her dad. They were a close family, they loved each other. And yet Claire couldn't remember what life had been like before that day three years ago, when she had arrived home and found that she had no more family left.

…..

She walked into the station at 07:28, everyone conspicuously avoiding her like she had not so subtly screamed at them to do that first year. She wanted to take the day off but wasn't sure what she would do left to her own devices. She needed a distraction. That day she needed to know who the redheaded woman was that they found at that all too familiar spot at the foot of the Arklay Mountains.

Carlos watched her walk up to their desk and started speaking without a greeting of any kind like he knew his partner would appreciate.

"Olivia Tate, twenty two years old. Four friends last saw her at the _Wonderland_ nightclub. Says she just disappeared. Her roommate, who was out with them, got worried when she didn't come home the next morning. But thought she'd met some guy she 'hooked-up' with. Apparently that's something she does quite often." Carlos didn't bother hiding his disdain at the victim's alleged promiscuity. "She gave it the day, but came into the station last night to file a report." Carlos cowered at the glare he received knowing it was because he'd been sitting on this the entire night.

Claire said nothing though, because before the sun had even properly set the night before, she had already been good and drunk. She had lain on her bed, her head spinning, her thoughts still racing, staring up at the ceiling till she had naturally sobered again. She had hoped to pass out, or throw up at least. Any sort of distraction would've been welcomed.

"Friends are waiting to be questioned." He continued to share details of the case they weren't officially on. "Kennedy and Ocampo just started, he owes me a favour, said we can watch." He winked at Claire.

Claire offered him a half smile that looked more like a grimace, but Carlos took it for what it was and nodded happily that he'd received that much at all.

It may be a fucked up day, and she was in a fucked up mood, but she wasn't going to fuck up this investigation because of her fucked-up-ness, Claire decided determinedly. Olivia Tate didn't deserve that sort of neglect and Carlos certainly didn't deserve to have to walk around on eggshells.

…

After hours of interviewing four grieving women and getting absolutely nothing: '_She was dancing with a few guys, nobody stuck out, we were all drunk, we noticed she was gone after twelve', 'she usually texts in the morning…'_ Claire was annoyed at the irresponsibility, but she kept quiet behind the two way mirror as Detective Kennedy gently guided them through the questions, while Rain Ocampo lurked in the background intimidating them with her mere presence like she tended to do with both witnesses and suspects alike. With those two there were very clearly defined good cop-bad cop roles assigned. '_Do you know of anyone that would want to hurt Olivia?' 'What's the name of her last boyfriend?' 'Did she have a type?'…_

The victim was clearly murdered on a different location and taken to the spot in the Arklay Forest. She wasn't dumped, she was placed. So it couldn't have been a random bout of panic if Olivia did indeed have an unexpected stroke during intercourse.

_She was placed there._

The thought was still in Claire's mind when Jill picked her up later that day. Claire would've rather stayed home, but then Jill would come over and spend the night with her brooding self instead. At least when they went out, Jill could maybe have some fun.

When she and Jill pulled up to the curb and started walking to the bright pink _Wonderland_ sign, Claire's eyes grew wide and she looked at Jill who smirked smugly and pulled Claire with her.

Trying to recover from the sudden warm ache in her chest at her best friend's unorthodox yet completely brilliant plan at a distraction, Claire allowed her gaze to wander around the club in an unofficial capacity. She wouldn't risk doing anything to blow the case for Kennedy and Ocampo, but she could still look around, get a feel for the club, for how Olivia Tate had spent her last night alive.

The place was busy for a weekday, but not pact by far and the Detective and the Medical Examiner had little difficulty working their way to the bar. It took five minutes for a bunch of guys to send them over drinks: Two shots of tequila. Jill sent them a flirtatious smile in thanks before taking her shot. Claire just threw hers down the hatch – not bothering with salt or lemon - and ordered a Scotch.

Jill went dancing with one of their admirers as Claire kept an eye on her in the mirror behind the bar and huffed when she noticed Jill making sure to keep Claire in her sights as well. A girl who had been at that exact club showed up murdered – well she had a stroke and was then taken to the forest - and Claire wasn't sure what she would do should she lose Jill too.

After finishing her second Scotch, she ordered another shot of tequila but found the hairs at the back of her neck suddenly prickling. She could literally feel someone's eyes on her. Being an attractive woman, she was no stranger to stares. But this feeling was… _disconcerting_. She very slowly turned around in her seat, and in spite of the mass of gyrating human bodies in the club, it took her only seconds to lock eyes with her observer.

Claire was taken aback by the beautiful woman. Granted, the lighting in the club left little to be desired in terms of visibility, but Claire could _feel _more than she could see, the intensity behind the stranger's stare.

The lanky brunette's blonde dance partner turned around and started rocking her hips against Claire's watcher who still held the redhead's gaze regardless of the fact that close to a minute had already passed. Claire hardly noticed the blonde though, as she discovered she couldn't break the penetrating eye contact. Instead, her body moved of its own accord, as Claire dismounted from the barstool and blindly navigated through the crowds towards the brunette's persistent yet still completely mesmerizing gaze.

Only a few feet away from the pair Claire halted, standing awkwardly amidst the dancing bodies, feeling strangely immobilized, as her gaze finally drifted to the stranger's hands gliding familiarly over the blonde's body, before she looked back up into that enigmatic stare again. She wondered what colour the woman's eyes were, they were light that was for sure, and Claire guessed that they might be green or blue.

Casually, as though she had planned for Claire's arrival, the brunette spun the blonde - still obliviously grinding against her - away and into the nearby crowds and sauntered toward Claire with a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Claire noted the tight little black dress she wore only briefly before looking up into her eyes again.

They drew her in like magnets.

It came as a mild surprise when the woman suddenly stood right in front of her, invading Claire's space as though they weren't complete strangers at all. Claire was abruptly hit with the brunette's scent. She couldn't quite pin it to any perfume, but for some reason the woman's fragrance was _familia_r, almost comforting. Her breath hitched when she felt long slender fingers delicately grasping her wrists and then lifted them till Claire's hands rested on the stranger's hips.

Slowly the brunette started moving against Claire's stagnant body, resting her arms around Claire's neck, who still held onto the stranger's slim waist out of pure compulsion. She found the woman's proximity utterly consuming. The lanky brunette expertly moved a thigh between Claire's jean clad thighs and started sensually grinding against her.

The Detective squeezed the waist she was holding onto for dear life as she bit her lip, trying to suppress a moan. It had been years since she had felt anything other than anger and guilt and pain. Years since she had allowed anybody accept Carlos and Jill to even platonically touch her. So having someone get _this _close _this_ fast was an almost novel experience for Claire. She was startled by the stirring in her lower belly; it was a practically foreign feeling that completely blindsided her.

The world went dark around her, all Claire saw were those intense eyes. She didn't even know what song was playing, though she could still feel the bass vibrating through her body coming only second to the rapid throbbing in her chest. She was almost grateful for the unexpected onslaught of arousal that granted her the opportunity to just focus on the feeling starting to build within her; the momentary opportunity to forget everything else.

The Detective wasn't sure when she had started moving with the brunette, or when her hands had started roaming the slender toned figure of the lithe woman. It was all happening in automation and Claire was content with just going with it; to lose herself in the beautiful stranger, if only just for a little while.

She gasped when the taller woman ducked her head and placed a gentle kiss on Claire's shoulder, causing Claire to hold on even tighter as they increased the rhythmic rubbing of their bodies. She whimpered at the sweet kisses that trailed up her neck, and breathed in the intoxicating smell emanating from the implausibly soft brown locks she was pressing her face into.

Claire felt weightless as the brunette took hold of her hips and pulled her closer, increasing the pressure, causing the Detective to whimper softly as her stomach clenched violently and the throbbing between her legs turned into an unbearable an ache.

Time had ceased to exist for Claire, what day it was went forgotten in that few moments of senselessly rocking her body against the gorgeous brunette. Claire mentally clung to the reprieve as desperately as she physically clung to the woman who was holding her in a sturdy embrace.

The slow painful build up did not cease, as heat spread up Claire's belly while the stranger kissed up her jawline and nipped at her earlobe. Claire groaned through her ragged breaths at the shivers the brunette was causing and increased the intensity of her rolling hips, mechanically getting closer and closer to a release she never imagined she would ever feel again.

"_Just let go_…" A soft rasping whisper breathed warmth against her ear and for reasons Claire couldn't fathom in that moment, she _did_ let go.

Her orgasm went crashing through her as she moaned hoarsely into the stranger's elegant neck, gently biting into it as her body trembled from her unanticipated climax. The brunette held her upright with little effort, still rocking gently into Claire's lap, placing soothing kisses into a neck which was lightly covered in a sheen of sweat.

Burying her face further into the brunette's hair, Claire was overcome by the moment. The much needed release, the inexplicable intimacy, the absolute embarrassment of what had just happened and then the devastating guilt that she had experienced a moment of enjoyment, _especially_ on that particular day.

The emotional overload proved too much and before she could disengage herself from the brunette and _run_, a choked sob escaped her throat. When all she was met with were soothing caresses down her back, it was as though the floodgates had opened and Claire couldn't stop her soft crying. It's been so long since she'd allowed anyone to comfort her.

She was unsure as to how long the stranger held her, unable to pull away from the soothing warmth. The brunette never made an attempt to let go either, seemingly content with just being there. Eventually Claire's hormones seemed to balance out again and she moved to step away from the beautiful woman.

Her cheeks were flushed with mortification, but she received only a tender smile when she finally managed to look the woman in the eyes again. Her lips parted to apologise, but she stopped when two soft hands cupped her cheeks and gently wiped her tears away. The brunette stepped closer and tenderly pressed a kiss on each of Claire's eyelids. They had fluttered closed at the nearness and remained closed long after the caring gesture ceased.

Claire was somewhat petrified at the effect the woman had on her, terrified to open her eyes again, but when she finally did, Jill Valentine was standing in front of her and the stranger was nowhere in sight.

Saying nothing, but having had seen it all and knowing what a rare moment it was for Claire, Jill wrapped her best friends in her arms, hugging her for a long time, before leading Claire out of the club.

….

Alice let out an exasperated sigh.

"She _is _the one Brother." She affirmed growing tired with having to defend her Beloved. "She may be somewhat fragile at the moment, but she is the one." Alice reasserted confidently.

They were currently in the parlour at the Arklay Mansion, Alice's current place of residence. Her brother had his own apartment in Raccoon City, closer to Umbrella Corporation's head office. Alice preferred the isolation though. Not many knew of Albert Wesker's sister and she preferred it that way. Those who did know however, held that knowledge for very specific reasons.

"Are you sure she is your intended and not just a pet project?" Wesker asked, brow slightly furrowed.

Alice loved her Brother dearly and she could see he was only concerned for her heart and the very public way she had chosen to declare her intent toward Claire Redfield. And it was for that reason that she didn't become irritated by his interrogation and just smiled at him instead.

"She is meant to be mine." Alice stated with an assurance that left little room for debate. ….

It was two days later when Alice stood outside Claire's house, dressed in dark jeans and a tank top. She had foregone her usual LBD, dressing for stealth instead, knowing that she had to be extra quiet as Claire was actually home that night. And even in her current state of intoxication, Alice had noticed that the Detective tended to sober quickly when duty called. But the vampire couldn't stay away any longer, not after their mutual attraction was so magnificently confirmed at _Wonderland_. Whether the human was ready to admit it or not, Claire felt that connection too.

Alice made sure that the redhead's secondary investigation had reached somewhat of a dead end. Olivia Tate had died of a stroke, Jill Valentine had confirmed it, so it was no longer a homicide, but rather a possible abduction and assault case. The vampire was enjoying postponing her own release, finding herself increasingly aroused at the thought of finally being with Claire like she wanted and imagined.

"So your big plan includes staring at her house the entire night?" Luther smirked as he walked out of the shadows to lean against the tree next to Alice.

"It's difficult to stay away from her. It has been a hardship these last few months and it has becoming progressively worse the more I see her. I cannot get her scent out of my mind…" Alice openly confessed, longingly staring toward the house.

"She's a cop Alice… Isn't there another way to –

- It is precisely for that reason that I chose this way." She interceded. "She needs to see who I am. _What_ I am. I make no excuses for my nature. She_ is_ the one, and she will accept me as I am." Alice stated confidently but Luther noticed the slight clenching of her jaw, hinting at the vampire's hidden doubt in her statement.

"She'd be a fool otherwise." He smiled warmly at her.

Alice responded with a lazy grin before telling him to get home before he got her caught trespassing. Luther was human and not as fast nor as quiet as Alice could be.

The brunette let herself into Claire's backdoor with the key she had had made. For weeks now she had come to Claire's house just to smell the Detectives' delicious scent and leave her own behind so that Claire would subconsciously be more inclined to be at ease around her. She quietly walked through the living room, letting her fingers trail over Claire's furniture and into the kitchen, noting the empty glass next to the almost empty bottle of Whiskey standing on the countertop. She picked up the glass and closed her eyes, groaning internally as she placed her lips over where Claire's Chapstick had left a slight imprint of the redhead's lips.

Claire had gotten home earlier that evening and started beating the shit out of her punching bag till she was completely drenched in sweat. It was all Alice could do to stay put as she watched Claire stripping off her clothes and heading for the shower. Afterward the Detective had paced around her house, put on her television then completely ignored whatever show was on, as she gulped down the Scotch in record time. There had been an intense moment where Claire had walked up to her bedroom window and had stared directly at the spot where Alice had concealed herself as if the redhead somehow knew she was there. It had sent a delicious shiver down the vampire's spine.

Alice could sense Claire still awake upstairs and turned to leave but was stopped in her tracks when she heard a soft whimper which she had grown familiar with after replaying the night at the club over and over again in her mind. Knowing she shouldn't, that it was too soon to reveal herself to Claire, Alice blindly started her light and impossibly quiet ascent up the stairs.

Her body went rigid and her nostrils flared at the sight and aroma that greeted her in the doorway of Claire's bedroom.

Having lost most of her inhibition when she spotted Claire's hand in her Boi Shorts, laying above her bedcovers and the alluring and thick scent of the redhead's arousal saturating the bedroom, Alice was helpless to do anything other than slowly stalk toward her Beloved.

….

**A/N: Yeah… so Alice is a bit of a creeper, a hot creeper at least, she'll grow on you. *Promise**

**Thanks to Giselle, angelsgir, manders27, FollowThatConvoy, tlc125 and Clairice for the encouraging reviews and for the rest of you reading and indulging my obvious fetish ;-P**

** tlc125: Just had to get some Gayzolli referencing in LOL, great to be writing again and happy you're still reading!**

** Clairice: Maybe they kill each other, maybe they don't… muhahaha Can't reveal any plot points sorry, but will gladly answer any non plot related queries.**

**Till next Chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Nothing but a heartache**

Claire's eyes were shut tightly as she unsuccessfully tried to find some release through her drunken stupor. Had she been slightly more sober, or slightly more drunk for that matter, Claire was sure she wouldn't have even attempted it in the first place. It had been years since she's touched herself, or even felt the urge to do so. But for the last two days, in addition to the typical horrors in her mind, her thoughts incessantly centred on the brunette from the club. All things considered, the gorgeous woman was definitely a welcomed distraction so Claire chose to just go with it.

A sudden gust of that implausibly familiar scent had Claire moaning softly and instantly wetting her fingertips with a new wave of arousal at the vividness of the memory. Dizzily her eyes fluttered open, but stayed heavily lidded in spite of the dim light of her bedroom. Her mouth slanted into a lopsided grin as the stranger's blurry features appeared hovering over her like a godsend. Even out-of-focus, the brunette was absolutely stunning.

Was she dreaming? Had she even fallen asleep? Passed out? She had no idea. Claire relaxed back into her pillows and started chuckling almost deliriously. She'd finally done it, she'd managed to drink herself into a hallucinogenic state. And what was best of all, the image her mind conjured was a very pleasing one. Given her propensity toward the gloomy and miserable she couldn't help but be slightly ecstatic at what should've been a very distressing experience.

She smiled to herself and inhaled deeply again, finding solace in that intoxicating fragrance.

….

Gently perching herself next to the redhead on the bed, Alice was more than surprised when Claire didn't jerk away and reach for her gun upon seeing her. The detective must've had a lot more to drink than just the almost empty bottle downstairs. After having watched her Beloved over the last nine months, the vampire was well aware of Claire's tolerance level. Perhaps her current state of arousal might also be contributing to the redhead's subdued state, Alice mused and devilishly grinned at the thought.

At Claire's audible gasp she refocused her eyes and noticed the redhead staring at her exposed fangs. Claire's free hand reached up and cupped Alice's cheek, seemingly unconcerned with the canines again and the brunette happily tilted her head into the gentle touch.

"Kiss me…" Claire forlornly whispered.

Alice hadn't wanted their first kiss to be like this, but the way Claire was looking at her, as though she were her only salvation, made the choice easy. The vampire closed the distance between them and gently pressed her lips against Claire's.

"So soft…" Claire drunkenly murmured against Alice's lips and continued to kiss the bright smile that had spread over the vampire's face.

The grin soon disappeared and Alice moaned softly, when the hand on her cheek slipped behind Alice's neck as Claire pulled her down to deepen the kiss. After getting lost for a while against her Beloved's eager mouth, Alice reluctantly pulled away, seeking some way to still her growing hunger at the unexpected yet completely delightful turn of events. She lazily trailed kisses up Claire's jaw and then nuzzled into her neck, running her tongue down to the redhead's pulse and keenly sucking at rapid throbbing she discovered there. She groaned when she realised how that obviously wouldn't quench her increasing want at all. Torn between Claire's delicious mouth and the promise of an equally appealing reward beneath her heated skin, Alice finally decided to return her attentions back to Claire's lips.

The vampire knew she would never hurt Claire, but she didn't want to physically exert her nature on the detective just yet. Especially when Claire wasn't exactly as present in reality as Alice would've liked her to be.

The Detective's tongue unexpectedly darted passed Alice's lips, causing the vampire to falter and helplessly whimper as she allowed Claire to hungrily explore her mouth. The brunette was painfully aware that Claire still had her hand in her underwear and was feverishly touching herself as their tongues roughly swirled around each other. That knowledge and the aroma of Claire's swelling arousal, was enough to have Alice lose focus and the redhead suddenly jerked away as one of Alice's sharp canines cut her tongue.

Claire was confused, blinking rapidly as she wondered why the sting and the taste of copper in her mouth felt so real, but before she could completely wake from her alcohol and Alice-induced haze, the vampire crashed their mouths together again, pulling Claire's tongue into her mouth. The brunette moaned loudly at the first taste of her Beloved as she grabbed a hold of the wrist attached to the hand between Claire's legs, keeping it in place, and gently urged Claire toward her desired release.

Sensing the sudden hunger she evoked only aided Claire along and she started bucking her hips against her circling fingertips, breathing sharply through her nose as the vampire sucked on her tongue. Soon her body tensed and went rigid, Claire groaned into Alice's mouth as her self-induced, though partially assisted orgasm, satisfyingly shuddered through her.

Claire finally released Alice's lips and fell back into her pillows and it was all the ravenous vampire could do to step back, as she watched the redhead turn onto her side and snuggle up with a pillow, effectively spooning it with a contented smile on her face.

The vampire matched the tiny grin, as she absently stroked her fingers over her quivering lips, her blood vibrating with the small taste of Claire she had just received.

She decided that it was definitely time for her Beloved's giftand raced out of the room in a shadowy blur.

….

Claire woke with a loud dissatisfied groan. Her mouth was dry and her head felt heavy and was pounding pitilessly. With a start, she grabbed for her phone checking for any missed calls. She let out a relieved sigh when all she had were a few premature ejaculator jokes from Jill who finally recovered from having seen Claire cry and thought it was a good time to start teasing the redhead about 'dry-humping a random hottie as though she was a teenage boy at a school dance'.

She tentatively padded into the bathroom and stripped herself of her shorts and tank then hopped into the shower wincing as the cold water hit her warn body. Afterward, she stood naked in front of her bathroom mirror, not even bothering to look at herself as she reached for the mouthwash and took a swig straight from the bottle. She instantly spat the minty liquid out with a loud 'fuck!', and stuck out her tongue to examine an already healing wound.

Her brows furrowed as images from her very vivid dream/hallucination replayed in her mind. And as if sensing what she would find, she tilted her neck to the side to reveal a large purple hickey in her neck. Claire's eyes widened in shock. She stood staring at the mark for ages, rubbing over it like it would somehow disappear, checking her tongue again. She then hurriedly dressed and drove to work, rushing passed everyone in the precinct and heading for the lift to go down to the basement floor to see Jill.

Her friend though, was busy guiding one of her assistants through an autopsy so Claire walked straight into the ME's office and started to pace the length of it. Distracted by Claire's clearly frazzled state, Jill let the assistant finish up and went into her office, closing the door and drawing the blinds shut.

"Please tell me you see this too?" Claire implored, pointing at her neck and Jill couldn't hide her surprise.

"Did you get laid?" Her friend whispered in disbelief.

Jill hadn't seen this much emotion from Claire in three years. It was both refreshing and unsettling.

"I had a _dream_!" Claire desperately whisper shouted, still pacing in front of her confused friend. "I had a dream about that gorgeous woman from _Wonderland_, she had fangs and she kissed me, cutting my tongue and sucking at my neck." Claire shook her head having thought it was the Dracula case that added the canines to her subconscious. "And when I woke up my tongue was sore and at first I thought I had bit it in my sleep, but how in the flying _fuck_ do I give myself a love bite Jill?"

"Fangs?" The doctor asked trying to mask her dread, which Claire read as incredulity especially after Jill's follow up question: "You sure you didn't maybe go out last night after –

- I don't get _that_ drunk unless I'm home." Claire angrily rebutted, hating to have to admit that she got _that_ drunk at all.

Jill was at a loss for words and she really hoped a vampire hadn't snuck into her friend's bedroom last night. She saw that woman at the club with Claire, yes she was sex-on-legs, but she had been so tender when Claire had broken down. Of course just leaving without a word was a douchy move, but Jill doubted Claire would've wanted to 'talk about it' with a complete stranger in any case. The lanky brunettee had saved them both from what was bound to be an awkward situation.

The ME dealt with dead bodies on a daily basis. They couldn't tell what had caused their injuries either but she eventually figured it out. But this? Claire said she hadn't gone out and she had a dream about a stranger she met two days ago, and then wakes up bruised… Either that was the spookiest shit Jill had ever heard, a vampire was stalking Claire, or her friend's drinking had finally crossed that line where an intervention was needed. In all honesty, Claire had crossed that line ages ago, but she had always been able to handle the copious amounts of alcohol that made bigger and stronger humans falter.

"Claire…" Jill started, considering coming clean about the marks on Olivia Tate's body and what they actually meant. If it really had been a vampire in her room it meant her friend was in danger and that was a considerably more frightening thought than what Albert Wesker could possibly do to her. But Claire's phone started ringing and she paused her attempted confession.

"I was in my house the _entire_ night. _Alone_." Claire gritted out through clenched teeth, misreading Jill's hesitancy as judgement. "Redfield." She heatedly answered her call, her features only softening slightly when she heard Carlos on the other end of the line. She listened to him explain the reason for his call without commenting on her abruptness. "Yeah I'm with her." Claire breathed feeling suddenly exhausted as she rubbed at her eyes. "'Kay I'll bring her, you go ahead."

"What?"

"Body found at the docks." Claire explained walking past Jill and toward the elevator.

Jill sighed heavily and followed after her.

…..

"We've already ID'd the vic." Carlos announced as Claire walked up to him.

Jill ignored him though and went straight to the crime scene pulling on a pair of medical gloves.

"Yeah?" Claire asked distractedly, as she noticed the familiar site they stood at.

"Sam Isaacs." Carlos stated and Claire's neck almost snapped as she turned to see if he was joking.

At the serious façade she was greeted with she pushed passed him toward the body Jill was examining. It _was_ him. Claire fought the eerie smile threatening to spread across her face. Isaacs was a monster who liked to cut up little girls. He was also a very rich bastard and served four years, the state only having been able to find him guilty of one charge of abduction and assault among the seven murder cases he was suspected for.

Claire had still been a patrol officer at the time of his arrest. She was the one who had found the little torn up body on the docks and properly secured the scene like they had taught her in the academy in spite of her overwhelming nausea. The ADA had commended her on how diligently she had followed protocol and preserved what little evidence there was. Even with the shitty verdict, it had set her on the path to making a very young detective. But Sam Isaacs was one of the faces that still haunted her most. And now he was dead. Lying in the exact same spot where Claire had found that young girl almost a decade ago.

Carlos knew this, Jill knew this and they knew about Olivia's location and the connection to Claire as well. That's why she wasn't surprised when Carlos pulled her aside and Jill announced that she would see her back at the station.

"That's_ two_ Claire. We need to tell the Captain." Claire stiffened, but nodded her consent. "For all we know this could be about me? I was working both the Slater and Isaacs cases and not even as your partner." He offered, but they both knew that was highly unlikely.

Carlos sighed heavily. "Let's see what we find out about this one first, I'd rather have you partnering me on this than hackling me from the side-lines." He grinned and Claire hugged him briefly to show her gratitude.

It left them both slightly shell shocked, for very different reasons, but they recovered quickly and awkwardly went to do their jobs, Carlos unable to hide the big grin that had spread across his face.

….

Back at the station Claire reread the file on Isaacs, purposely ignoring Slater's, not wanting to see the pictures they contained even though she could recall them with disturbing clarity and not always at will. Instead she scanned through what Kennedy and Wong had gathered so far on the Tate case. To date, the only link between the two cases was Claire. The MO was different, Tate died of natural causes and Isaacs's neck was snapped clean. But both were moved to those _specific_ locations after death.

Red hair and blue eyes seemed to be her only physical connection to Tate, who other than having a questionable sexual history, had a clean record. But the link to Slater – and subsequently Claire - was unmistakeable. Loads of bodies had been found in the Arklay Forest, never though had any two been found on the _exact_ same spot.

….

Alice's hunger had not been sated since she had practically fled from Claire's bedroom the previous night. She had not intended on continuing her plan this soon, but she was desperate and if she didn't act now, she wasn't sure what she would do. It was a risk going to _Wonderland_ again, but she was willing to take it. It was high time she and her Beloved made a more formal contact.

There had been no police warning issued to the general population resulting from Olivia Tate's death, yet most people should've been taught not to trust strangers from a young age already.

The vampire smirked as she glided through the crowd and started sensually dancing up against an unsuspecting redhead who brusquely turned at the contact, but grinned widely when she saw the gorgeous woman flashing her a charming smile.

This time Alice had Luther wait a few blocks down from the club. She wasn't used to just grabbing her prey and making a run for it. She had become used to the meticulous feeding her brother spoiled her with. Both he and Luther were skilled at cleaning up after her.

Careful not to get any of the woman's blood in the car, she exited and pulled the willing and giggling redhead into the woods. As she sat between the moaning woman's legs, sucking on her thigh, she couldn't help but remember how much better Claire had tasted and how she craved the Detective even more now.

…..

Claire had purposely not drunk anything that night and found herself on her back in bed, drifting in and out of a restless sleep. She was almost grateful to hear the buzzing of her phone early the next morning, but sighed when she heard the location of the latest body.

Everyone was very scared of uttering the words 'serial killer' but that was what it seemed to have become. Jill Valentine didn't even have to confirm the similarities obvious on the new red haired victim who lay in the exact same position, in the _exact_ same location in the Arklay Forest. The police tape around the crime scene hadn't even been taken down yet.

The Chief of Police himself was on the scene, instructing Carlos and Claire to team up with Kennedy and Ocampo who have been unable to come up with any leads.

"The ground is soft. Why aren't there any fucking tire tracks or shoe prints around here?" Claire yelled her frustration at the CSU techs who knew well enough to ignore her unjust tone. "Did he just fucking appear and disappear out of thin air?"

"Time of Death?" Carlos asked Jill.

"'Bout three am."

"When was she found?" Claire asked Carlos.

"Round about 6am, by the same guy." He said sceptically, anticipating Claire's response.

"The jogger?" She asked her brows furrowing. "Who goes and jogs by the exact same place you found a dead body only days before?"

"Luther West does." Carlos answered sarcastically.

Claire looked around the crime scene for the bald man. Rain had taken his statement the last time. Claire had read it over and not thought much of it at the time.

"Did he go up to the bodies? Were _his_ footprints around the scene?" She asked frantically, the case clearly starting to get to her.

She couldn't remember any trace evidence stating such. In fact the area had been swept clean alluding to a very meticulous killer.

"Where is he?" Claire muttered as Carlos ignored her first two questions that he figured Claire had answered for herself and chose to answer the latter one.

"After he gave his statement he went home."

"You have an address?"

"Yeah. He lives a few miles up the road."

Claire nodded.

"We need to run a background check on this guy before we go see him."

"Done it the first time." Carlos stated gently as he watched Claire getting upset with herself. "You had a lot going on, don't beat yourself up about it, Kid. It wasn't even our case 'till now."

"Can we tell the Captain about the possible link to Isaacs _after_ we speak to Luther please?" Claire pleaded knowing Carlos would give in.

She wanted to stay on this case as long as she possibly could, but she knew the Captain would take her off it as soon as he connected the dots. He would be happy at least that they had managed to keep the words 'serial killer' and 'Dracula' out of the newspapers thus far. She thought about the distinct bite mark on the two victims' thighs… Instinctually Claire's hand shot up to the large hickey in her neck that no one had seemed to have the guts to comment on. The stranger in her dream that may not have been a dream, had had _fangs_…

…

**A/N: Glad everyone's loving Creeper Alice! **

**Special thanks to MssAberfield, Webminky, Guest, tatu2215, Clairice and FollowThatConvoy for reviewing, and to all you following/favouriting/reading this story.**

**MssAberfield: Unfortunately there'll be no werewolves in this one, but I share your fascination with the supernatural and this is fast becoming one of my favourite stories authored by me.**

**Clairice: Alice and Claire already have way too much to work through, having Alice massacre her family… Hmmm on further thought, that's actually a great idea… Maybe I'll use it… hehehe**

**Webminky: Alas, dear Monkey, my celibacy has me walking a thin line between productivity and insanity. I'm determined to go for another few months though. Should the scales tip toward full blown insanity, I do hope you'll come and visit me in Saffa prison. I'll be the one sitting in the darkest corner of my isolation cell, hugging my knees and slowly rocking back and forth as I repeatedly mutter to myself: 'It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again'**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**I let myself become so unraveled**

"What idiot jogs passed a known crime scene in the middle of the woods?! The forest is fucking HUGE! He couldn't find another route if he's so obsessed with his health?!" Claire fumed as Carlos drove them over to the Arklay Mansion. "I mean that's not normal is it?!" She asked him and he let out a non-committed grunt in response.

"And what kind of lawyer works as a PA for some wealthy socialite? Who the fuck is _Alice Abernathy_ anyway? We got nothing on her, just a social security number, no speeding fines, she doesn't even work, yet she lives in a fucking castle. Did she win the National Lottery? Is it family money? Why then haven't we heard of the Abernathy's before?" Claire raged.

Carlos kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the road, trying his best not to show his excitement at the interest and passion Claire was showing in the case. Yes he was worried that she may be too entangled, but at least she was animatedly involved instead of the robotic shell she'd been over the last few years. He was almost glad that some psycho was killing and dumping bodies in the Arklay Forest.

_Almost._

Those girls were young and didn't deserve what they got. He would make sure that whoever took their lives paid for it and even more determinedly, he would make sure that the bastard didn't get anywhere close to Claire.

"And since when did having red hair predispose you to suffering from a stroke? _Both_ can't possibly be natural causes!" She exclaimed her frustration at having heard Jill's preliminary examination found Cause of Death of the second victim to be natural once again.

"If you don't calm down, you may just add to those statistics." Carlos chuckled and grinned brightly when his partner actually laughed with him.

…

They rang the doorbell, warily eyeing the strange wooden carvings on the large front door.

"What are those?" Carlos wondered out loud. "Spiders?"

"Scarabs…" Claire murmured thoughtfully, some part of her mind finding that familiar.

Arklay Mansion had been up in these mountains for years. It could probably be counted as a historical landmark. As far as she knew, it was unoccupied and Umbrella Corporation owned it and the majority of the land surrounding it. Hell, Umbrella owned most of Raccoon City. They must've rented it out to this Alice Abernathy

"I don't think anyone's home." She told her partner, surprised that a snooty butler or a French maid hadn't opened the door yet. "Should we wait?" She asked, having had calmed down considerably after Carlos jokingly pointed out how worked up she was getting herself.

The words had barely left her mouth when the sound of tires up the gravel driveway gained their attention and both detectives openly admired the shiny black Maserati that came to a stop in front of the garage doors.

Luther West got out of the driver's side wearing a pink men's dress shirt and perfectly tailored black pants and what Claire could only assume was a pair of very expensive shoes. She was no fashionista in any way. Carlos would know though. She'd ask him later. Luther West was definitely a very well looked after PA.

For now though, they curiously watched as Luther completely ignored their presence and walked around the car to the backseat and opened the door. He then stepped in front of the back wheel and extended his hand to his passenger.

Claire's gaze dropped at the scrunching noise of a pair of fuck me heels hitting the gravel. Her eyes shifted up the expanse of lengthy toned legs toward sculpted thighs that twitched slightly as their owner got out of the car. She followed the well-built thighs as they disappeared underneath the hemline of a little black dress which covered a slim waist and a very nice pair of breasts. Her eyes lingered on the set of beautiful collarbones, then narrowed on the tiny red scarab pendant which she was certain she'd seen before. Distractedly though, her gaze drifted up a long, elegant neck unable to stop her explorative scrutiny.

Her heartbeat increased at the familiar lips she discovered and her gaze flew up to lock onto a pair of amused green eyes staring right back at her. Claire's stomach did an excited flip before dropping summarily into the depths of her belly. Her chest gradually tightened the closer the woman sauntered up to them, seemingly unperturbed by the unevenness of the pebbles at her feet in spite of her thin, high heels.

"Good morning. I'm Detective Olivera and this is my partner Detective Redfield of the RPD Homicide Division." Carlos spoke to both Alice and Luther flashing his badge, even though Alice had held Claire's gaze throughout her approach.

"Alice." The vampire purred at Claire who felt a fiery heat rising up her neck and spreading to the very tips of her ears at hearing that gruff voice again. "Alice Abernathy." She said finally dragging her eyes from Claire to acknowledge Carlos who was hiding his confusion at the two women's odd interaction extremely well.

Claire who had been all riled up and ready to lead the questioning had suddenly gone very quiet.

"We were hoping to ask Mr West a few follow up questions regarding the two bodies discovered at the foot of the Mountains." Carlos specified the purpose of their presence.

Alice looked to Luther who smiled at her before turning to Carlos.

"Of course Detective. Whatever I can do to be of assistance." He said as he went up the steps of the large mansion and held the door open.

Alice was first to ascend and walk through the doorway, leaving both Carlos and Claire gaping after her. Luther had to clear his throat and both detectives looked equally ashamed at their lack of professionalism. Claire nodded to Carlos who had stepped back to allow her through the door. He rarely did that, not that Claire minded him not doing so. She was considered one of the boys, she liked it that way, seemed though that the presence of Miss Abernathy brought out the chivalry in everyone.

Luther led the two detectives into a modern parlour and sat down opposite them after they had declined his drinks offer. Carlos led the interview, asking for a recount of both mornings Luther had gone jogging and stumbled upon a dead naked body. Claire was visibly distracted as she listened out for any signs of Alice in the rest of the large manor.

Deciding to give up and do her job, she tried her best to focus on the rest of the interview and when Carlos finished his queries, she asked Luther if anyone could account for his whereabouts on the nights of the two murders. Luther answered that he had spent both nights at the mansion and that they had security cameras which would back that up.

"Luther did not murder anyone." Alice's gruff voice spoke from the doorway, causing every hair on Claire's body to stand at attention. "I believe he did you a great service finding those girls as fast as he had. You may return with a warrant should you wish to commandeer the security footage." Alice seemed more amused than defensive, so her reluctance to share heightened both Carlos and Claire's curiosity. "I am sure you understand that my privacy is at stake." Alice explained, noting the detectives' enquiring looks. "I'm not comfortable with Raccoon City's finest watching me walk around my home… doing things people tend to do when they believe themselves to be alone…" She let her explanation trail off and a slight blush appeared on her perfect cheekbones.

Claire couldn't help but note that it seemed like she was watching a show being put on. A show with a very talented lead actress.

"I assure you Miss Abernathy, we will treat the footage with the utmost respect –" Carlos started.

"- I could watch it now. With you." Claire blurted unintentionally as she continued to watch Alice, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, but the woman's presence was making it rather difficult to think clearly.

"I will just need to confirm Mr West's presence in the house between 9pm and 4am on both nights in question." Claire spoke in automation, feeling as though she was saying exactly what Alice Abernathy wanted her too.

Alice's smile grew and Claire's eyes widened when she noticed a fang peeking out. Those same fangs that were present in her hallucination /dream/maybe not a dream, right beneath those lips that caused the mysterious hickey… _It hadn't been a dream_… Had this woman been in her house? There was no other explanation other than that.

It wasn't like Claire could arrest her. What was she gonna say? This gorgeous wealthy woman broke into her house (well that was also debatable since there weren't any signs of forced entry), gave her a hickey, then made her cum whilst sucking on her tongue? They would finally lock her up in the nuthouse and throw away the key.

"Very well then." Alice acquiesced, much to Carlos's surprise. "Luther, would you be so kind as to keep Detective Olivera company while I show Detective Redfield to the control room. Perhaps you would enjoy a tour of my home Detective?" She asked Carlos who nodded eagerly.

The easy way in which Alice Abernathy was accommodating the investigation sat his mind only slightly at ease, but his instincts still told him that there was something very wrong in that house and with that woman. He especially didn't like the way she was looking at Claire.

…

Claire tried not to stare at the feminine curves as they swayed in the skin-tight dress in front of her. She had already been caught ogling the round muscles on Alice's calves accentuated more because of her Stilettos. Blinking a few times to try and clear her mind, she silently followed Alice into the small control room, which held quite a few monitors. Claire felt increasingly anxious when the door closed behind them and clicked shut as though it had been locked.

She was uncertain as to whether her angst was out of fear of the confined space or out of want of the woman who in spite of the lack of evidence, had become the main suspect in Claire's investigation the instant she smiled to reveal those fangs.

Claire had to find a way to get someone to give her a warrant so Jill could check the bite on the victims' thighs to see if they were a match. The ADA would laugh in her face if she requested it without any proper cause. Well, perhaps even _with_ proper cause.

Alice sat down in the chair in front the monitors - seemingly very comfortable around Claire - and started pulling up the footage of the two nights in question. The ease with which she found them, sent more warning bells off in Claire's mind as Alice's oscillated co-operation started to look increasingly pre-meditated. There was no reason for the stylish woman to know her way around the tiny control room like this.

Claire leaned closer to the monitors next to Alice, breathing in involuntarily when the woman's scent accosted her senses in a most distracting manner. She had taken up her current position as a way to see more clearly what was being fast forwarded through, but found her vision obscuring as all her remaining senses focused solely on the enticing brunette.

"I apologise for running out on in you in the nightclub. I thought you might want to be alone…" Alice very softly husked in Claire's direction, her breath lightly tickling Claire's neck. She was so hyperaware of the brunette at her side that the minor act caused Claire's entire body to visibly shudder.

She turned her head to find bright green eyes openly studying her. Claire forgot the reason she was in the room, and when Alice leaned up towards her she didn't or couldn't move. The kiss they shared was brief and chaste, yet had Claire aching with a need that both frightened and stirred her.

She knew that she shouldn't do it. She could fuck up the whole case, finally get suspended, but when Alice reached up a hand to tenderly brush a thumb over Claire's cheek and gently pulled her closer again, Claire helplessly whimpered before she closed the distance between them and kissed Alice hungrily. She eagerly straddled the brunette's lap in the process, moaning when Alice took hold of her hips tugged her nearer.

As her tongue forced its way into Alice's mouth, swirling and exploring, it didn't take long for Claire to cut herself on a sharp fang once again and she pulled back sharply, jumping off the vampire's lap and taking a few steps back for good measure.

The deja vu assisted her in regaining her composure even though she still felt like she was slowly, but surely losing her mind.

"You were in my room." Claire stated bluntly, still somewhat in shock.

"I wanted to make sure you were all right." Alice looked sincere, in spite of the ominous confession.

Claire's incredulous stare did nothing to falter the look of compassion that was being directed at her.

"You killed those two women." Another statement that held a distinct accusatory tone.

Alice leaned back in her chair and casually crossed her legs as she let her eyes lazily rake over Claire's body. She searched the detective's face for an intense few moments, seemingly contemplating her next words. Claire wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, having momentarily forgotten about her accusation as Alice's deep gaze seemed to strip her bare, inch-by-inch. Reality rushed back though as she noticed a wide self-satisfied smirk gradually spread across the stunning woman's features.

"Prove it." Alice tauntingly challenged as her smirk broadened into a devilish grin.

Claire's weapon was quickly drawn and aimed at the brunette who didn't even flinch.

"Get up and place your hands behind your head." She demanded.

The smirk never left Alice's face as she did as she was told, turning around when she was instructed to do so. Claire reached for her cuffs; she didn't think Alice Abernathy was an actual vampire, perhaps just a vampire enthusiast. Some psycho rich girl who liked getting her kicks from biting her lovers.

Alice compliantly allowed Claire to cuff her hands behind her back.

"Very kinky Detective…" Alice purred as she teasingly leaned back into Claire's body.

The detective couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath and subsequent shudder that ran through her as Alice's pert ass rocked against her groin. Taking way too long to recover, she finally managed to push Alice away from her and toward the door, gritting her teeth to try and stay focused while she read the brunette her rights.

….

The Captain burst into the room where Claire and Carlos were observing Alice sitting in the interrogation room from behind the two way mirror. Carlos shrugged at his questioning glare and reiterated that Claire told him Alice confessed and that he backed up the arrest.

"'_Prove it_.' Is not a confession Redfield. It's a statement of your fucking job description!" The Captain growled. "Do you have _any_ idea who you have handcuffed in my station?"

As if on cue, Albert Wesker appeared behind them.

"Ah Captain Douglas, if only we did not have to meet again under such distasteful circumstances." He said charmingly, even as the two obvious lawyers loomed just behind him in a not so subtle threat.

The Captain nervously returned the greeting and instantly started apologising, saying the word 'misunderstanding' about a million times as he, Wesker and the two suits disappeared behind the doors of his office.

Claire had barely acknowledged Wesker's arrival as she stared at the beautiful woman, casually sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chair as though it was a luxurious recliner. Alice's eyes shifted up and she looked directly into Claire's startled blue eyes. In spite of how obviously creepy it was, it made Claire's stomach knot nervously and her heart pound increasingly faster with excitement rather than apprehension.

She didn't take her eyes off of the striking woman, her mind and heart and stomach swirling with a mixture of feelings Claire was to distracted to identify in that moment. Chief Irons himself appeared a few minutes later to uncuff Alice, breaking the strange (one-sided?) staring contest, and apologised for the inconvenience the brunette was caused. The lanky brunette completely ignored him as she glided out the door of the interrogation room toward her waiting brother. Claire blindly followed her out into the hallway. When their paths crossed, Alice offered her a bright smile that held none of the haughtiness Claire had expected it to.

"See you soon." Alice whispered as she brushed passed the redhead flashing her a lazy smirk.

_Ah, there it is_. Claire thought.

"Was that a threat?!" She shouted after Alice, annoyed that she was responding to a suspect like that and even angrier at the perceived manipulation.

She was positive Alice Abernathy was stalking her and that she had killed those two women, and most likely Sam Isaacs too. Luther West was probably an accomplice.

Carlos had to hold her back as Claire lunged at the woman who had her utterly mind-fucked at present.

Alice just smiled sweetly at her and linked arms with her equally amused looking brother, chuckling in delight as he guided her out the station.

After Claire calmed down, she ignored the angry glare from her Captain as she felt another set of eyes burning holes into her head. Her gaze followed her intuition as she locked onto two pools of dark liquid hatred, glaring daggers at her. Rain Ocampo was not known for her bubbly personality. She'd seemingly hated Claire the minute she joined the devision over four years prior. Had she not been such an angry bitch, Claire would've probably pursued her. But then life happened and turned Claire into an angry bitch as well, so she never went there.

Rain had never warmed up to anyone really, her aggression was equally distributed toward everyone, yet Claire had never noticed that much force directed to anyone else before. Was the sexy Latina upset that Claire made a 'wrongful' arrest on their case? Her eyes narrowed as she returned the glare with matching intensity and Rain held her gaze up until the Captain chose to step into Claire's line of sight and ordered her to go to his office.

….

"I'm going fucking crazy Jill!" Claire shouted in the ME's office, after hours of paperwork and lectures from the Captain about the fine line between police work and politics.

The only reason he had not placed her on permanent desk duty was because neither Wesker nor Alice seemed to want her punished. "She's getting under my skin. She killed those women. I _know_ it's her, she all but flat out said the words."

Jill Valentine was a sceptic at heart, part of her enjoyed seeing Claire so worked up about this woman. It's the first time in years that she'd seen Claire so… _alive_.

"You sure you haven't met her before that night in _Wonderland_?" Jill's eyes widened and she laughed. "Alice in Wonderland!" She squealed excitedly.

"I'm happy you're so amused by this." Claire sighed and slumped down onto the couch in Jill's office.

In actuality, Jill was far from amused. She needed to tell Claire the truth and she needed to do it soon. This was getting completely out of control, but she could hardly have such a conversation with the redhead while Claire was so worked up. And how the hell do you get someone to take you seriously when you tell them that vampires are real?

"Well I'm sure you can just shoot her if she comes at you."

"It's not me who I'm worried about, is she gonna bite and kill every redhead in Raccoon City?" Claire gritted out through clenched teeth. "Fucking crazy psycho with a vampire fetish. You should see her fucking fangs. If I find her Orthodontist we could get her dental records and I'm sure they'd link her to the bites. But the Captain will never sign off on that now. I'm surprised he didn't suspend me or fire me. I could see he wanted to. God knows he's got a lot more on me than one wrongful arrest."

Jill sighed. She hadn't known that Albert Wesker even had a sister.

"You really believe she did it don't you?"

"She's taunting me Jill. I just need to figure out why she's targeting _me_. Did I put someone away that she was close to?"

"Did you go to high school together and didn't put out for her." Jill joked nervously trying to lighten the mood but failed miserably.

Claire was so caught up in her own theories she didn't even bother rolling her eyes at her friend.

"If I got you an imprint of her fangs, will you be able to match it to the victims?"

"Probably yes…" She trailed off as Claire's phone started ringing.

"Redfield." She carefully listened as her skin grew paler. "On my way." She answered curtly but groaned the second the call ended.

"What?"

"You should probably come too." Claire sighed.

"'Kay… I gather by your enthusiasm Dracula has struck again?"

"Yeah." Claire sighed. "She got Spencer Parks this time."

….

**A/N: You know sandbox love? When you pulled your crushes pigtails in the first grade, just to get her to notice you, even if she hates you for it, as long as you got her attention and got her to think about you/consider you? Alice has perfected that strategy and turned it into a working formula. Hehehe Nah not entirely. She's officially on Claire's radar. Shit's about to get real!**

**Thank you to tlc125, Starr, Guest, angelsgir, Webminky and Clairice for the reviews and all of you reading this story!**

**tlc125: Have I ever told you how much I enjoy your reviews? You're right, Alice didn't kill Claire's family and yes she made Luther call in the bodies on purpose so Claire would find her, if that wasn't made as clear in this chapter as I had hoped it to be. I'm glad you find Alice fascinating, I'm trying to create this sexy, mysterious and dangerous vibe to get everyone, including Claire interested.**

**Starr: I would call it a matter of taste rather than an 'inflexible personality', which you are entirely entitled to, if you're only referring to reading material that is;) I do appreciate you giving this story I chance though and that you actually took the time to review. Thank you!**

**Guest: It's definitely the fangs! Hahaha**

**Clairice: I try my best ;) **

**Angelsgir: You know, Alice really shouldn't be as sexy as she is, she's killing people and invading Claire's privacy and yet STILL, so so _HOT_. LOL**

**Webminky: I'm very certain that all that GG Rubbing would distract you for at least a little while before you get to my side;) I am going to try my best to update a chapter a day. The story outline is basically done, but requires a lot of fleshing out and editing. And you know my schedule's gonna get a bit hectic so I'm not gonna promise. I WILL PAY YOU TO WRITE A STORY ABOUT BOB THE VAMPIRE! Let's start a RE Vamp revolution! *Rubs some lotion on my butt-cheeks and moons you***


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**And in the end the eyeball army will just take you down**

Claire sat in front of the situation board she'd recreated in her bedroom because she had been thrown off the case and was put on involuntary compassionate leave, as no one could deny her link to the victims any longer. She suspected the Captain just wanted her out of his hair, scared that she'd go do something ridiculous like arrest Albert Wesker: King of Raccoon City.

Two women who looked like her - well they had red hair and blue eyes - were murdered and placed on the exact same spot where the man who had butchered her siblings had taken his last breath. The other victims were both murdered in the exact same location their last victims had been found. Claire had had a role in both cases and both of the accused had received reduced sentences based on technicalities. Just like Slater had.

All four murders - even if two were ruled death by natural causes - were done meticulously. No substantial trace evidence – not even a partial fingerprint - was found at any of the scenes. Yet all the bodies had been _moved_ to their specific locations. It was purposefully done. It's what linked them all the Claire. The placement.

There was a pattern too, redhead, perp, redhead, perp… Whereas Claire had done some profiling and provided Carlos with as many of her former arrest's identities as she could, the redheads seemed entirely random, both only having their occasional patronage of_ Wonderland_ in common.

There was no doubt in her mind that Alice Abernathy was somehow involved. Whether she had done it herself or got someone else to do it, was still up for debate. Moving dead bodies around and snapping people's necks wasn't an easy task, especially for a woman of Alice's reedy stature. What Claire couldn't quite fathom though was why the brunette had chosen _her _and what her motives could possibly be.

She repeatedly thought back on her life and she had absolutely no connection to the woman that she could remember. They didn't exactly hang out in the same social circles. Claire hadn't even noticed Alice at_ Wonderland_ before and it was one of Jill's favourite clubs. Admittedly, up until the first redhead was found, Claire had lived her life in a bubble of booze and indifference. But she was certain that she would've definitely noticed Alice Abernathy had their paths crossed in any way, no matter how brief the encounter.

Staring at the four victims on the board, especially the two innocent women who had nothing to do with this save for their red hair and eye colour, she couldn't help but think about Alexander Slater.

Slater who had thought it wise to use an _assault rifle _for a simple house robbery. She couldn't believe that he broke into a house where not one but _two_ cops lived. _Had he even done any surveillance?_ The Redfields didn't have many valuables, their house was simple. There were a few homes around the block that were far more affluent. Claire couldn't bring herself to believe that the senseless massacre of her brother and sister was as a result of one sick fucking idiot's random uninformed choice.

She had spent the first few weeks after their deaths obsessing over whether it was a hit gone wrong, or a hit made to look like a botched robbery. Her brother had been part of the S.W.A.T team, formerly known as the Strategic Tactical and Rescue Squad. He had put away many bad guys in his short career. So had she for that matter.

But there had been _so much_ blood... No professional would leave behind such a mess, not even if they were playing amateur. Sometimes she could still see it when she walked in her front door. Jill had asked her to consider moving out, but the house was all she had left of her family. They'd grown up in it. She'd watched K-Mart grow up in it. Her little sister had only been eight when their parents had died. Claire and Chris had raised her and she'd been geared up to join the academy too.

No, Claire couldn't sell their house even if she was the only one still left to live in it.

Slater had dropped his gun and made a run for it, but not before the sick fuck had… Claire shut her eyes tightly, trying to force away the involuntary images of what he had done to K-Mart after he'd shot her seventeen times. He had left enough DNA and prints behind to find him easily as he was already on the system for car theft. Despite the copious amounts of evidence against him though, he served two years for breaking and entering and the sexual assault of her sister because someone fucked up the prints on the gun and couldn't trace it back to him to have the murder charges stick. He claimed a second perpetrator to be the shooter even though there were no signs that one existed. Claire knew it must've been his lawyer who came up with that crafty strategy, cause Slater was dumb as a fucking doorknob.

"Honey I'm home!" Jill yelled from downstairs and Claire eagerly welcomed the respite from the brutal memories she had gotten stuck in.

….

Jill cautiously entered the bedroom and wasn't surprised to find Claire glaring at the situation board. Though her friend's renewed interest in _anything_ had been initially welcomed, now with the impending danger of a vampire serial killer having potentially targeted the detective, Jill was even more worried than when Claire showed up to crime scenes hungover and/or smelling of Scotch.

"The Captain kept Carlos on the case." Jill reminded with a reassuring smile. "If there's anyone as determined to get to the bottom of this, it's him."

"It's Alice Abernathy." Claire stated with absolute certainty. "I just need to find enough evidence to back it up. I sent Carlos to _Wonderland_; there are CCTV cams in the street outside. And the club has private security on the front and back doors, yet for some reason no judge is willing to grant a warrant for the tapes, even though both vics were last seen alive there. And why haven't the papers gotten a hold of this yet? You know information always gets leaked out of the department. I swear the Captain accepts kickbacks for it. You know what all that means Jill?" Claire asked raising an eyebrow at the Medical Examiner. "It shows that Albert Wesker's pulling strings to cover up for his _psychotic_ sister!" Claire spat out bitterly.

"Well that type of superfluous labelling really hurts Detective."

Both Claire and Jill jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the woman in question inside the doorway of Claire's bedroom. She was dressed in the black jeans and tank top that she liked wearing when she lurked around Claire's house.

It took a split second for Claire's Beretta to be tugged out of its holster and aimed at the intruder.

Alice Abernathy smirked down the barrel of the gun.

"Going to shoot yet another person in cold blood?" Alice drawled, glaring icily at the redhead for the first time since they'd started their fucked up song and dance. She really didn't appreciate being called 'psychotic'.

"What did you just say?" It was Jill who responded though.

There had been only one instance where Claire had done what Alice had just implied, and the only two people who knew about it was her and Claire and _she_ didn't tell anyone, and she knew Claire sure as hell didn't and yet this relative stranger was in possession of the Detective's deepest and darkest secret.

"You heard me Dr Valentine." Alice answered, her gaze softening on Claire.

At the confirmation, and the shock that someone else knew what she had done, Claire's gun dropped weakly to her side.

"Why are you doing this?" Claire desperately asked Alice, who chose to remain stagnant in the doorway as to not startle the edgy women yet again.

Her face split into a lazy grin and Jill gasped at the sight of the infamous fangs Claire had told her about. A small, irrational, yet optimistic part of her had still hoped it wouldn't be true. That it was Claire's excessive drinking that had caused an overactive imagination to conjure her stalker. Drinking would've been something Jill could try and fix. Hell, Claire Redfield was drunk at that very moment, in spite of how swiftly and expertly she'd drawn her weapon.

Having Wesker's sister stalking her best friend would not end well. If Alice Abernathy was anything like her brother, she would get what she wanted at any cost.

"I wanted to do something special for you." Alice answered shyly and to her horror, Claire could discern that Alice wasn't playing coy this time around, she actually _was_ shy about it.

She gaped at the brunette, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, a few incoherent sounds escaping her at the absurdity of Alice's proclamation.

"Y-You think _killing_ four people was doing something _special_ for me?" Claire finally managed to utter.

As Alice seemed distracted by Claire, Jill reached for her phone to call for help, well to call Albert Wesker in particular to try and find out what _this_ vampire's intentions were. It wasn't like the police could rescue them. Wesker owned too many people in the Raccoon City Police Department, she'd noticed that when she had to assist with the numerous cover-ups. Captain Douglas was most likely one of those people.

Then in the blink of an eye, she found herself without the device. When her confusion finally wore off, and her hair settled back in place from the gust of wind that had blown passed her, she looked up to see Alice standing in the doorway, holding both Jill and Claire's phones as well as Claire's weapon with a narcissistic smirk on her face.

"What the –

- _fuck_…" Jill seemed to complete Claire's statement that was actually a sentiment on its own.

"Tsk-tsk Dr Valentine," Alice smiled sweetly at her, "It really is bad etiquette playing with your phone whilst you are entertaining guests. I assure you that my brother will tell you not to interfere in my affairs." She smiled knowingly.

Claire frowned at the curious exchange, filing it away for later, but focused on Alice again as the vampire continued speaking.

"If you'd be so kind as to sit down and listen while I try and explain my masterpiece to my Beloved I would greatly appreciate it." Alice politely requested as she inattentively switched off the phones, placing them next to the clock radio and tugged the gun into the back of her pants as her eyes never left the red haired detective.

Surprisingly it was Claire who recovered first from the supernatural display.

"How do you consider murder a masterpiece?" Claire scowled, remaining steady on her feet even though Jill had sunk down to the floor and was now sitting mildly in shock, as she leaned her back against the foot of the bed.

Her mind was reeling from the fact that she was in a room with a real life _vampire_. She'd met Albert Wesker only once. He hadn't bared his fangs, nor had he moved at lighting speeds, and yet he had still freaked her out enough to ensure she did exactly what he asked _when_ he asked it of her. Now he had a crazy sister who seemed even more ruthless than he was.

"Thus far the piece represents a gift and a declaration." Alice stated earnestly as she walked toward the situation board. "It's an on-going project, I have not decided what all to add yet."

Claire said nothing as she waited for the vampire to continue, Jill watching intently at how Claire's body seemed to gravitate toward the lanky brunette in spite of the vampire's admission of guilt and all round psychopathic behaviour.

"These men," Alice motioned to Isaacs and Parks, "you went through all the trouble of catching them, but then they were not punished in a way you felt they should have been. It has been eating away at you along with your guilt over Alexander Slater and your grief over your family." Alice looked at Claire with genuine concern that unsettled both the redhead and her dumbstruck best friend. "I wanted to gift you with two less things to carry on your shoulders."

Claire laughed bitterly.

"Gee thanks. Now I can add the deaths of _four_ people instead." She shot back sarcastically. "How did you kill Olivia Tate and Michelle Stevens?" She demanded, somehow the fear had left her body, even though a self-proclaimed murderess was standing right in front of her. "_Stroke my ass_." Claire muttered to herself.

Alice chuckled at Claire's unfortunate phrasing, wanting to comment but chose not to tease the adorable redhead.

"Dr Valentine, care to explain to our lovely Detective what happens to the human body during excessive blood loss?"

Jill sighed heavily, but didn't even bother resisting the request.

"The amount of blood loss from the two victims is classified as a class three haemorrhage. Respiration is high, peripheral perfusion is poor, pulse rate is over 100 beats per minute. Wide spread failure of tissue oxygenation occurs with diversion of what blood flow there is to essential organs like the brain, kidneys and heart." Jill spoke mechanically.

"Thank you. And what happens to the body during an orgasm?

"Increase in breathing, blood pressure, heart rate…" Jill sighed again, she'd figured out how exactly Alice had murdered the redheads about two days after the first body had been discovered.

"Is it not also true that the body experiences an increase in blood flow to a particular area that is_ not _as essential as the brain during orgasm?" Alice asked like she was part of a seminar and Jill only nodded.

"Okay enough with the fucking lecture, just tell me straight out already. How were they killed?" Claire looked at Jill because the vampire was looking at Jill.

"They each suffered an ischemic stroke Claire. The oxygen rich blood supply to the brain had been drastically reduced by the blood loss and the intensity of the orgasms they were experiencing." The doctor glared up at Alice. "She essentially _fucked_ them to death." Jill finally admitted and Claire's head snapped back to the very smug looking vampire.

She wanted to scream at Alice, but found herself at a loss for words. After a few moments Claire gave up and turned toward the situation board, staring sadly at the two redheads who died because of this woman's bizarre obsession with her.

"Why them…" She whispered, suspecting the answer already.

"They represent my declaration." Alice spoke softly, suddenly right next to the redhead.

Jill had seen the quick movement and suppressed a panicky squeak. She watched as Claire didn't even flinch at Alice's sudden proximity. Claire turned to the vampire expectantly, curious to finally get some answers.

"A declaration of what?" Claire murmured, unaware of her admiring eyes wandering across her stalker's stunning face.

"That no matter how many similarities they held or how beautiful they were that they would simply never compare to you." Alice husked intensely as they leaned even closer toward each other. "The bite is a representation of my physical attraction. My want. My _need_…"

Jill's eyes widened as the electricity emanating in between Claire and Alice became almost tangible. What the fuck was Claire thinking? Then again, Jill doubted Claire even realised the extent of her attraction. She'd watched her friend walk through that crowded club in a daze to get to the vampire. Jill had wanted to find the mysterious woman that had broken through Claire Redfield's walls, but now she was frightened of that woman who looked at Claire with so much regard and warmth. It was disturbing and what was equally unsettling was Claire's body's blatant response it.

"Why are you doing this?" Claire whispered again as she powerlessly stared into the vampire's enigmatic green orbs, searching them for answers, for confirmation that in spite of the tenderness she found there that this… _thing_ was still a killer.

"I want to show you what I am and what you mean to me." Alice professed huskily.

"You barely know me." Claire argued softly and Jill wondered why her friend even bothered to do that.

It was so not the point. It made it sound as though Alice's actions would've been justified had she known the redhead.

"I would like the chance to get to know you." Alice answered so sincerely that it caused a long heavy sigh from both Claire and Jill.

Claire from feeling completely overwhelmed, and Jill because she couldn't believe that Claire was falling for the undeniably charming, albeit sociopathic, vampire's bullshit. Of all the times in the last few years to show some emotion, Jill didn't understand why Claire Redfield had to choose then.

"You're a killer." Claire stated.

"Aren't we all?" Alice remarked, not even maliciously, almost like she was happy they had that in common.

Claire however, was not as content with the title and took a quick step backwards. Alice's brows scrunched together and Claire found it absolutely endearing before freaking out at what she was feeling and took another two steps away from Alice who remained motionless and staring at her quizzically.

"You have no reason to fear me." Alice gruffly whispered, tilting her head to the side and looking extremely hurt, halting Claire's retreat instantly and Jill rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Then stop hurting innocent people just to prove a point."

"I have to feed regardless, I usually do not display my prey in such a flagrant manner though."

"Will you stop murdering innocent people for me?" Claire reiterated not quite understanding that Alice's nature would always drive her to feed for survival and sometimes for fun.

The brunette could care less for any human that wasn't Claire and by extension Jill Valentine for being Claire's best friend. Paying close attention to the many loopholes in Claire's request, the vampire chose to answer with a request of her own.

"When you accept that you are mine." Alice stated with a lopsided grin, slowly moving towards Claire once again.

"What do you want from me?" Claire weakly implored, as Alice stalked ever closer to her, coming to a stop inches away, the redhead herself subconsciously gravitating nearer.

"_Everything_..." Alice whispered back, barely brushing their lips together, and yet, in spite of all the confessions and revelations that had taken place just moments ago, Claire shuddered and her stomach flipped excitedly at having Alice and her familiar scent, _that_ close to her again.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she relished in the hum of her body at the vampire's proximity. When she opened them again, Alice was gone and Jill was staring at her with wide disbelieving eyes.

"You fucking_ like_ your psycho vampire stalker!" She shouted incredulously.

Claire turned to Jill, seemingly in shock. "You saw her too? I didn't imagine all that?" She asked. "I'm not passed out drunk somewhere…" Claire spoke softly as if she were secretly hoping that she was and Jill didn't really blame her. "She's a _real _vampire…" Claire slumped against the wall, her legs buckling and the air leaving her lungs. She tried to continue processing through her shock. "And she wants everything…"

"She wants _your_ everything." Jill clarified stoically.

Claire glared at Jill.

"How can you be so blasé about this?"

"My mind is fucking blown Claire. You can't hold me accountable for anything I say right now. I just saw a hot vampire fling herself out your window. I might be suffering from PTSD already." Jill sighed. "At least she left your gun." They looked at the weapon that had been placed on the bed, Claire hurried to holster it again, needing it close, wondering if it could kill an actual fucking vampire.

"What should I do? She said she wouldn't stop until I…

"… give her everything." Jill finished. "Sounds like Dracula wants to have little fangy lady babies with you. She seems absolutely smitten. I have to admit that I was concerned that some psychopath wanted you dead but this has me slightly less worried."

Claire's dumbfounded expression made Jill chuckle dryly.

"Well since she's a vampire she's probably killed thousands of people right?"

Claire only lifted a brow.

"And she clearly has access to your house, and obviously can get in whenever she wants."

Claire's other brow lifted too in surprise at the truth of the statement. Her fingers lifted to absently touch the now greenish yellow mark on her neck_._ For the first time she had a clear answer on whether Alice had been in her room and kissed her that Detective absently brought her fingers to her lips in fond remembrance.

"What I'm saying Redfield, is that she's had plenty opportunity to eat and/or kill you and she _hasn't_. Instead she made this…" Jill scowled, motioning to the situation board and sighed heavily. "…This really fucked up but very imaginative in a mentally insane kind of a way gesture… I mean she could've just pretended to be human. The way you reacted to her at the club, you probably would've been married by now." Jill finished and Claire's scowl deepened.

"Why do I react to her like that?" Claire asked aloud even though it seemed as though the question was directed at herself. "I know what she did, she confessed, and yet when she gets close to me… I, I can hardly think… I just wanna…" Claire got lost in her thoughts of all the things she wanted to do to Alice Abernathy.

"Maybe she's got you under her thrall?" Jill offered. "Like how Dracula hypnotizes his victims so they'd be more cooperative." She explained at Claire's questioning look.

Though Jill was aware of the fact that vampires existed, Albert Wesker wasn't very forthcoming with information aside from the demands he made. She didn't even know how many of them there were out there in the world. She then wondered why he didn't just place her under a thrall to do his dirty work instead of scaring the living shit out of her.

"What should I do Jill?" Claire asked helplessly.

"Do nothing. There's nothing you _can_ do." Jill's joking façade finally snapped. She was terrified and the guilt of her association with Wesker was weighing heavy on her conscience. "She's probably gonna eat you and make me watch and then snap my neck to complete her 'masterpiece'." Jill shivered.

Surprisingly, Claire chuckled and reached out to pull the distraught woman into a hug.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Claire promised

Jill sighed heavily, reluctantly pulling out of the comfort of Claire's arms.

"There's something I need to tell you…" She started. "I was sworn to secrecy. If I said anything he would've killed me and whoever I told, but since his sister kinda outed herself to you I'm technically only confirming rather than revealing anything…"

…

Claire sat quietly on the carpet at the foot of her bed next to Jill staring vacantly at the carpet. Her hand was wrapped tightly around the neck of a bottle of Scotch that she'd maybe taken two swigs from before getting completely lost in thought. Everything was a desperate, devastating mess. From Alice killing like it was absolutely nothing, to Albert Wesker extorting her friend, threatening everyone she held dear in order to keep her in line.

"I know I should've told you…" Jill whispered mournfully, sniffing slightly as her eyes started to water, the regret stabbing at her throat and stinging her eyes.

Claire agreed. Jill should've told her. To be more specific though, Claire felt that Jill should've been _able_ to tell her. Albert Wesker had approached her friend over two years ago, by that time Claire was already nothing but a shell of her former self. She had checked out of reality and could hardly blame Jill for not trusting her with this information. For not trusting that Claire would protect her at any cost.

"Yeah…" Claire bit her lip, and finally looked at her friend. "I understand though. And I promise I won't let either of them hurt you." She vowed with such conviction that in that moment, Jill actually believed that Claire could take on the powerful vampires and win.

She slept over that night. They'd pushed the large wardrobe in front of the window and the chest of drawers in front of the door. Jill had lain in Claire's arms and the detective had placed her gun under the pillow. Both women were sure that if the vampire wanted them dead, they would get dead. The blockade offered just enough security that they would at least notice the stealthy vampire's entrance should she return and it helped them relax just enough to get some rest. Well it helped Jill at least, who fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, while Claire continued to dutifully guard her sleeping friend whilst trying her best not to get stuck on the tenderness she saw in the green eyed gaze of Alice Abernathy.

…..

**A/N: So Alice's just managed to up her Creeper level, it's all part of the plan though. Trust in the plan;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Waiting for my second skin to settle in**

_Vampires were real. _

And one wanted to eat her… or something. Claire wasn't sure how to exactly process that information, but she did know that Alice needed to be stopped. She couldn't have any more blood on her hands, even if she was only indirectly responsible. That Jill was there when the vampire invaded her home and then explained that it had all been real, had aided Claire in retaining some of her rapidly dwindling sanity. She was very sure that if she had been alone, she would've written the whole exchange off as a substance induced hallucination.

_Alice Abernathy was a fucking _vampire_._

They couldn't even tell anyone. Jill was certain that Albert Wesker would kill them both and hide their bodies where no one would ever find them. Claire was off the case and the Captain said not to bother Alice again. If Claire went to him with accusations that Wesker and his sister were _vampires_ they'd take her badge and promptly have her committed. Given how far up Wesker's ass the Captain, and apparently Chief Irons as well, were, she was sure that he wouldn't even listen to her if she managed to prove Alice murdered those people.

No, Claire needed to find out how to kill vampires. She decided that it was the only logical course of action.

….

After a very long and stressful internal debate, Claire finally mustered enough courage to raise her hand and ring the doorbell at the Arklay Mansion. Diving head first into the belly of the beast was a considerably less frightening thought when said beast had access to you whenever she wanted. Nowhere was safe in any case.

Luther answered the door and smiled brightly when he saw the detective there. She pushed passed him, and he just stepped back and tried to hide his amusement at the riled up redhead.

"Alice!" She shouted angrily up the stairs.

"My sister is out." Albert Wesker drawled from outside the entrance of the parlour she and Carlos had occupied on their previous visit. "Please join me for a drink. She should be back shortly." He requested politely, walking into the room which suggested that Claire didn't have much of an option to decline his invitation.

Hoping that she would be able to hide her nervousness from the man Jill feared so much, she decided to follow after him instead of hightailing it out of there like her instincts were screaming at her to do.

Claire wondered if the vampires had enhanced senses like in the books she'd read and the movies she'd watched; whether he was able to hear her heart frantically thumping against her chest. She already knew that Alice was _fast_. But what was even more alarming was that the brunette seemed as though she could see straight into Claire. In the club it had felt like Alice had invaded her completely. Nothing else mattered but Alice's body moving against hers, Alice's hands touching her, Alice's lips -

- Please have a seat." Wesker smiled, placing a tumbler of Scotch on a coaster next to the offered armchair. "I realise that the last few days must have been quite… _exciting_ for you." He seemed to struggle – or not bother - with hiding his amusement.

Claire snorted her derision at his choice of words and took a big gulp of liquid courage. Albert Wesker wasn't a very large man, yet his commanding presence easily filled the entire room, leaving Claire with a claustrophobic feeling as she tried to look everywhere except at Alice's brother.

"You need to pardon my sister's eccentricities. She is a very passionate being." He explained with a recognizable fondness in his gaze.

"She's a psychotic bitch." Claire muttered her disdain and instantly found Wesker in her face, fangs bared threateningly, hands resting on the arms of the chair on either side of her.

Claire gasped as her heart sped up even more. She managed to tear her gaze from his large canines up to an irate dark glare.

"You will not speak about her in that manner_; especially_ not in my presence." He spoke in a deadly calm voice that mimicked the iciness in his stare and stood in contrast to the low animalistic growl resonating from his chest. "I will not tolerate it."

It took Claire a minute to recover from the menacing sight, but when she eventually did, she laughed humourlessly in his face after regaining her nerve again.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" She challenged, levelling his glare. "Kill me? Torture me?" She chuckled bitterly. "I've been through hell, fuck, I _live_ there. I've got nothing to lose."

Wesker stared at her for a few more moments before his lips curled into a smirk and the coldness in his eyes turned back to amusement. He pushed away from the chair and went to pour himself a glass of Scotch as well.

"There is a certain liberation to having the _perception_ that one has nothing to lose, is there not Detective Redfield?" He asked rhetorically, taking a sip of his Scotch. "But as you are a threat to my sister's wellbeing, I feel it only fair that I become a threat to your loved ones in return. I am quite certain that Doctor Valentine and Detective Olivera do not share your _destructive_ nature." He drawled casually.

Claire visibly stiffened at the threat, causing Wesker to chuckle at her once again.

"Calm down Detective. My sister will not force herself on you. I suggest you offer her a fair chance. In this particular scenario you actually _do _have nothing to lose, and fewer bodies will show up in strategic locations... Unless you enjoy my sister's _art_, that is?"

"So because_ she_ made a choice that I would be _hers_, I just have to go along with it or else? That's also forcing me Mr Wesker." Claire heatedly negated.

Wesker smiled, fully baring his teeth, thankful not to have to hide it like he was forced to in his daily dealings at the Umbrella Corporation. Even in the company of those who knew what he was. It was a rather intimidating sight that often distracted from the purpose of his transactions.

He could see now why his sister had chosen the young detective. There was a fire burning behind the woman's walls threatening to encompass everything in its path. He'd researched her extensively when Alice had first told him about the redhead a few months ago. The vampire was disappointed to find a burned out drunk as the object of Alice's affections. But now, now after meeting her, he could finally see why Claire Redfield appealed to his sister so greatly.

"You may not yet be aware of it Detective, but you had chosen my sister just as much as she had chosen you."

…

Claire sat with her hands in her hair, two tumblers of Scotch later, still in the parlour. She was grateful Wesker had left her in peace. She didn't know where he or Luther had gone. Jill had been right about the Umbrella Chairman. He was a frightening man, and it took a whole lot to intimidate Claire.

She was frustrated and confused at his insinuation that there was somehow a bond between her and Alice. There couldn't be, and yet her severe response to the woman made it a little harder to flat out deny that possibility. She refused to consider it though; the vampire must have some kind of supernatural hold on her.

Something tugged at her conscience causing her gaze to lift from where she'd been staring at the carpet and she jumped in her seat as she finally noticed Alice sitting in the chair opposite her own, carefully regarding her. She hadn't even heard the brunette enter the room. The vampire wore a little black dress again, her legs crossed at the knee, revealing a glorious side view of her thigh. The toned shape of her calves distracted Claire for a while, before her gaze lifted and she finally managed to look the attractive brunette in those striking green eyes of hers.

"I apologise for startling you." Alice sincerely offered.

Claire hated that everything the brunette did appeared genuine, even when she freaked Claire out.

"You seemed to be having a moment; I did not want to interrupt." Alice explained further.

"You really need to stop killing people for me." Claire cut straight to the chase, trying to ignore how her whole body seemed to have come alive after being made aware of the vampire's presence. "What do I have to do to make you _stop_?"

Alice's elbows rested on the arms of her chair and she casually brought her long slender fingers together in front of her chest, braiding them within one another as she seemed to ponder the question.

Claire watched the movements hypnotically.

"Come and stay with me for a while." Alice finally asked almost shyly, causing Claire to violently snap out of her trance.

"Like your fucking sex slave?!" She squeaked and Alice chuckled from deep down in her belly with uninhibited delight.

"Perhaps…" She answered saucily, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "If that is what you desire."

Claire's stomach flipped and clenched almost painfully and she had to bite her lip to stop the moan that tried to escape at the way Alice was looking at her and what she had just insinuated.

Alice didn't laugh at her response, instead the vampire stared intently at Claire's mouth and lifted her gaze revealing wide blown pupils which reflected the unmistakeable tinge of lust.

"I would appreciate one calendar month." Alice continued, distractedly flicking her stare between Claire's lips to her eyes. "If you choose not to be mine me after that, you are free to leave and I will cease to burden you with my art."

"So I stay here for a month and after that I'm free?" Claire confirmed, for some reason she didn't doubt the vampire's word. The woman was cocky and arrogant and way to full of herself to lie.

Alice nodded.

"What do I have to do during this month?" Claire hesitantly asked.

"When do you return from your forced leave?"

"Next week Monday."

"All right. You will occupy the room next to mine. You are free to go as you please, to work, to the shop, wherever, as long as you sleep _here_ every night. You may have Dr Valentine over, but no one else. This is my home after all and I do value my privacy."

"That's it?" Claire asked lifting a sceptical brow.

"I would like you to not attempt to link me to these murders." Alice said seriously, all hint of flirtation and amusement gone. "I assure you that even if I walked into your precinct and bellowed out a confession, my brother would not allow me to be incarcerated. And I will be very disappointed in you Claire."

It was the first time Alice had said her name and it send a delicious shiver down Claire's spine.

"Can I think about it?" Claire asked.

"Of course."

"Will you kill more people if I take too long to think?"

"Most probably." Alice smirked.

"I'll have an answer for you in two days." Claire said.

"I am sure Dr Valentine will agree that it's a very generous offer." Alice grinned knowingly.

…

"It's fucking blackmail is what it is!" Claire shouted as she paced her bedroom floor.

The situation board had been taken down. There was no murder mystery to try and figure out anymore. They knew who had done it and why she had done it and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. Claire had seriously considered running, taking Jill with her. But how do you run from a vampire with the resources of an International Conglomerate like Umbrella Corporation behind her? And Alice had stated that she would continue adding to her 'artwork' until Claire gave in and stayed with her for a month. Just a month and no one else's deaths would be on her conscience.

"Do you think she'll… Uh try and make a move against your will?" Jill asked anxiously.

"Are you asking if I think she'll rape me?" Claire asked bluntly.

Jill nodded disturbed by the thought. Though she was permitted to visit, Claire would be alone in the vampire's creepy mansion.

"Honestly Jill, I don't think so. She's had plenty of opportunities to… take advantage. I think she'd kill me sooner than having to force herself on me." Claire chuckled and then bit back an involuntary whimper as a sudden image of Alice restraining her up against a wall crept into her mind.

Claire felt like screaming, no matter how hard she tried or what she found out about Alice Abernathy, her attraction to the lanky brunette was still as forceful and uncontrollable as ever. After this was done, after the month was up, and she wasn't dead, or eaten, Claire decided that she would go and have herself committed. Nothing about her feelings for the vampire was right, or made the slightest bit of sense. She felt as though it had a lot to do with her supressing her grieving for so long, it's caused her to just reach out to the first person who showed an interest. Even if that person was a vampire.

Claire realised of course, that Alice hadn't been the first person to show interest during the last few years. However, the vampire had been the only one to successfully get under her skin. Claire was loathed to admit that since that fateful day in the club, it had felt as though she could finally breathe again. Like the constant weight on her chest had been considerably lessened. She wrote it down as the vampire just distracting her from what had become the norm. Nothing more.

"You think she'll keep her word and let you go?" Jill pensively asked.

Claire nodded without even having to think about it.

"I just need to figure out a way to kill them." Claire murmured cautiously, anticipating the outburst from her best friend.

"Whoa! Hold the fuck on there _Buffy_!" Jill exclaimed angrily. "You will not try anything of the sort! Albert Wesker will kill you if he even _suspects_ –

- Alice won't let him touch me." Claire stated confidently, regretting having told Jill, but she needed someone to brainstorm with and to tether her to the real world while she went undercover in the Arklay mansion.

…

Luther carried her bags to her new room as a grinning Alice, seemingly giddy with excitement, showed Claire around. The brunette looked so happy and Claire had to force herself to focus away from the beautiful vampire. She was there for two reasons, to serve her time and find out the best way to kill a vampire. Claire suspected decapitation to be her best bet. But if this was anything like the movies, she would need a really really sharp blade. And Alice was freaking _fast_. She'd see a swing of that magnitude coming a mile away… Perhaps she should find some way to disable the vampire first… Perhaps a few bullets…

Claire walked with the vampire along the surprisingly beautiful grounds around the mansion. And though she had a very thorough tour of the large manor itself, Alice very deliberately passed her own room, which was adjacent to Claire's, heightening the detective's natural curiosity.

"If there is anything you need, please ask." Alice smiled. "There are a set of spare keys downstairs."

Claire nodded absently. "How'd you know about what really happened to Slater?"

Claire knew Jill wouldn't have told anyone, hell, she and Jill hadn't even discussed it.

A few weeks after Slater's early release – a combination of an overcrowded prison and good behaviour given as reasons - Claire had very deliberately gone to purchase an unlicensed weapon. She'd followed Slater for weeks on end to where he was casing an exclusive party happening in the Arklay Mountains, most likely wanting to rob the guests or the large house. That had made Claire's hackles rise as she had seen the weapon he carried and was enraged all over again.

She had followed him into the woods and without a word she'd jumped him, careful not to beat him up too much as her body trembled with the restraint needed to hold back. A sharp blow to the gut and a kick to groin stopped his struggling. She then held her hand over the gun in Slater's hand and brought it up to his head, pressing it against his temple with a strength fuelled only by adrenaline and her intense hatred for the man.

She hadn't said a word, but she knew he knew who she was and why she was there. She had listened to him crying and begging for his life for a while, wanting him to suffer the knowledge that he was about to die. She had sneered maniacally when she finally pulled the trigger, causing blood and brain matter to splatter all over herself and the surrounding shrubbery.

If Claire was completely honest, she'd always intended on killing Alexander Slater. She'd decided it not when he was released from prison, not when she heard the absurd ruling at his hearing, not even when she found out his identity and the arrest was made. Claire had already resolved to kill the monster the very day she had held her little sister's lifeless and blood-covered body in her arms.

Afterward, she'd expected to feel better. She'd hoped for a little bit of peace. But she felt no different. In actuality, she'd felt emptier than she ever had. She'd checked the scene for any evidence that could've linked her to the crime – she wouldn't disgrace the family name by getting caught, knowing her dad and brother and most definitely her mother had rolled over in their graves that day. She had then mechanically turned, leaving Slater on the spot, climbed into her car and drove home to clean up, then went to dump the gun she didn't even use, where no one would ever find it.

When the body was discovered over three weeks later, Jill had taken one look at Claire's reaction and knew what she had done. Claire could see it in her best friend's eyes and it was confirmed when Jill wasted no time in declaring Alexander Slater's death a suicide. Yet she had never asked Claire about it, nor had Claire ever had the stomach to try and speak to her best friend about it.

"I saw you that day." Alice started, still casually leaning against the door frame of Claire's new bedroom as the detective awkwardly stood inside of it. "I had been trying to get away from a few people who bored me silly. I caught your scent on the wind." Alice smiled fondly. "Perhaps it was the increase in your heart rate that made it so potent... I watched you watching him for a long time. You seemed to be stalking him through the forest… I could see in your eyes what you wanted and needed to do. And though it seemed to take you forever to finally pounce, when you executed your plan, it was utterly flawless." Alice spoke wistfully. "You were marvellous. Up until that point, few things had still managed to excite me. _You_ Claire, breathed new life into me. I saw your pain, and the immense sorrow. Watching you pull that trigger, it felt as though I was watching you die right in front of my eyes. That is why I chose that spot for Olivia Tate and Michelle Stevens. They were a physical representation of your death that day. I wanted them to remind you how very much alive you still are. I have watched you become increasingly withdrawn these last few months. I would give anything to see that fire again, like you had that night, just before you pulled that trigger."

Claire said nothing for a long time as Alice continued to stare at her in wonder.

"I'm going to sleep." She swallowed thickly, hating having been reminded of how she was no different from Alice. She was nothing but a murderer herself. "Tomorrow's my first day back. I should try and rest." She muttered.

Alice nodded with a melancholic smile on her face.

"Sleep well Claire." She hoarsely whispered, before taking the door knob and closing the door behind her.

"She's a vampire who kills people, she's forcing you to be here." Claire mumbled to herself as she fell onto the large bed of the very nice room she would be spending the next month in.

….

She didn't sleep that night. Who would? She spent the majority of the evening fearing Alice would enter her room and the rest cursing herself for being disappointed that the vampire hadn't. Her door had a lock, which she didn't use. Not like the vampire wouldn't be able to get in.

Making her way down to the kitchen, she was surprised when the brunette wasn't there. Nor did Claire see Alice before she left for work. Luther however, made her a big breakfast and the best cup of coffee Claire had ever had.

"You're not a vampire." Claire's statement came out more like a question.

"I can see why you're such a great detective." Luther smirked teasingly. "No I'm not. And I quite like it that way." He smiled charmingly.

"Can she change you?" Claire inquired. "Into a vampire?"

She figured that Luther would be the best source of information. The vampires seemed to trust him.

"Yes. She's given me the option." He guardedly answered and Claire decided to lay off the vampire queries till she could get him more comfortable around her.

"So why is a lawyer working as a… what _is_ your job title exactly?" She lifted a brow. "Houseboy?" She smirked and Luther chuckled good-naturedly.

"I am whatever Alice needs me to be." He answered. "And I'm sure you've noticed that she often needs legal representation, even though she could probably teach us both a thing or two about the law and its various ambiguities."

The reminder ruined the playful mood and Claire quickly excused herself to go to work. Luther let the topic go and asked her instead whether she'd be 'home' for supper. Thrown by the familiarity, Claire answered that she couldn't say. That was the truth. Who knew when a dead body would show up. Luther said that he'd put a plate aside for her and said his goodbyes as he left Claire in the kitchen.

…

**A/N: Phase 1 – Creep Claire the fuck out to get some fire back into her. Status: Complete. Phase 2 – Find a way to see Claire all the time (U-Haul optional). Status: Complete. Phase 3 – Get to know each other better. Status: In progress**

**Thanks to all of you still reading and reviewing!**

**Tlc125: what _is_ up with Rain Ocampo… Who knows? she's probably just a bitch. Office politics suck. **

**MssAberfield: Claire _is_ going crazy, but she's getting focused now. She finally knows the truth, what she does with that is a whole different matter.**

**Avienda: Double update just cause you asked. Unfortunately I work as a travelling prostitute and the truckers don't always drop me at places with _free_ WiFi (saving up to buy some anal beads). Would probably not be able to double update again, working and writing doesn't always get me a favourable response from my clients. Sigh. Should be about 15 Chapters, not a very long story so we're halfway there already! **

**StarrH: I've always considered myself more of a storyteller rather than a writer. English is my second language so I'm not even going to attempt describing the various colours of a sunset to metaphorically reflect my protagonist's mood, or some shit like that LOL Growing against the grain is an admirable quality btw. Live long and prosper**

**Webminky: Ah my little Monkey, so easily distracted… Thanks for noticing how Claire has changed from what she was just from the simple knowledge of Alice's existence. I think most of us have an ex we weren't always sure whether we wanted to fuck or kill – I am that ex;) hehehe Please don't get my hopes up for Bob's return if you're not gonna deliver, you tease. Mail me Mothafucka**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Your hardened heart can't hide you now**

At the precinct everyone enthusiastically welcome Claire back, Carlos grinning biggest of all even though they'd gotten nowhere on the case, stating that they needed Claire's intuition to help them. Not like they would ever get anywhere, she thought. Jill was there too, watching Claire intently, as though she was scanning the redhead to make sure Claire didn't have any bite marks on her after spending the night in the vampire's lair.

"Someone sent you a present." Carlos scowled at a long black rectangular box with a purple ribbon bound to it. He didn't look pleased by its existence at all.

Claire frowned at the gift as well, approaching it cautiously like there could possibly be a bomb inside. Carefully opening the box, she found a single dark purple, almost black rose. She picked up the handwritten note next to it which simply read: _Hope you like your gift._ It wasn't signed, but the detective instantly knew who had sent it, even though she had never seen the vampire's neat calligraphy before. She lifted the parchment to her nose and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes when Alice's familiar fragrance - with a hint of ink - greeted her in confirmation. She was unaware of the three pairs of eyes studying her closely: her best friend's gaze was filled with concern, Carlos's held a jealous confusion and Rain Ocampo glared at her with unveiled hatred.

Claire was baffled, yes the rose was clearly expensive and rare, but it was such a_ normal _gift, so unlike the vampire, she hadn't expected such simplicity from the brunette.

She tried hard to push all thoughts of Alice aside for the rest of the day and since the Captain was insisting on throwing his weight around, she was stuck on desk duty and tried to focus on her paperwork instead. Claire didn't mind the tedious task this time around though. The others were curious as to why she showed little to no interest in the 'Dracula' case, but of course said nothing to her directly.

It was later that afternoon when a commotion had Claire looking up from the files strewn scrappily across her desk.

"That bitch_ made_ me do it!" A handcuffed man shouted trying hard to turn his head back as Leon shoved him through the station. "I'm not going down for this alone!"

Behind him followed a silent Ada Wong, also in restraints, glaring dangerously at Claire as Rain guided her after Leon and the hysterical man.

"Shut up and wait for your lawyer to get here." Kennedy snarled at him, before pushing him toward an interrogation room.

After disposing of Ada Wong in a similar fashion, Detective Ocampo sauntered up to Claire's desk with an arrogant smirk.

"Welcome back Redfield." Rain sneered in a very unwelcome manner. "Don't worry, we did some _real_ detective work while you were on holiday and caught your stalker for you."

Claire had to force her mouth closed again before she screamed at them for being idiots. They didn't catch her stalker, she currently_ lived_ with her stalker!

But they actually had 'witnesses', Wong had ordered the hits, the guy shouting it to the world was willing to testify to that.

Ada Wong was a high ranking member of the Racoon City Triad. She was probably the baddest guy to have gotten away. She was ruthless and cunning, and even though the police knew about all her offenses, they have never been able to link her to any of them. She and Claire had been at it for years now. Claire kept on bringing her in and she was either not charged or found not guilty the few times she went on trail. Everyone was aware of the animosity between the detective and the notorious ringleader.

Apparently Ada had arranged the murders to 'set Claire up', hoping that the redhead would eventually become a suspect when they didn't find any leads given that two of the victims were criminals linked directly to Claire. And even though the 'Dracula' factor made absolutely no sense whatsoever in explanation of her motives, 'evidence' had been found all over the Asian woman's place. They're saying it was Ada's way of threatening Claire.

The teeth that were used to bite into the redheads and video footage of Ada talking to the hired gun allegedly instructing him on the killings, were all recovered. When they went to arrest her, they found her house stocked up with drugs and illegal arms. It was almost comical the sheer amount of fake evidence that had been amassed against her. All her people were scared shitless, no one would dare turn against her.

But clearly the vampire siblings were a whole lot scarier than Ada Wong.

She was going to go to jail forever. Claire just knew that Alice would've made sure that she wouldn't get off this time round. Just like Ada had spent years evading sentencing because of who she knew and throwing around money to buy her freedom, she would now go to jail for four crimes she didn't even commit. It was poetic justice. The Dracula case was also instantly closed, meaning that no additional man power would be wasted on it.

Ada Wong's hateful glare only served to solidify the fake motives Alice had set up and Claire allowed a happy smile to appear on her face.

Jill had come up to check on Claire who seemed unnaturally calm for someone living with her psycho vampire stalker. She watched the smile that graced Claire's face, reminding her of the woman her best friend once was.

"I take it this is your actual present." Jill murmured softly at her side.

Claire just thoughtfully hummed in answer.

…..

She was slightly tipsy when she got back to the mansion in the early hours of the morning. She, Jill, Leon and Carlos had decided to go out and celebrate Ada Wong's arrest. Rain, like always, declined the invitation. Claire was careful not to drink too much though, she didn't trust her resolve around the vampire even when she was sober. Who knew what she would do intoxicated?

The place was eerily quiet and even creepier than usual. She was halfway up the stairs, the black box containing her long stemmed purple rose tucked safely under her arm, when a voice greeted her from below.

"I was concerned that you would not return." The voice was soft and small and so unlike the usually self-assured vampire.

"You shouldn't have done that to Wong."

"It was your wish that I do not kill for you again. You had stated nothing concerning the falsification of evidence." Alice's demeanour instantly changed and a disarming grin spread across her face that had Claire dithering and she had to grasp tightly on to the balustrade to keep her balance, or perhaps stop her treacherous body from descending the stairs toward the vampire. "Have you eaten?" Alice queried politely.

"Yeah, went out with the guys." Claire answered, slightly stunned, her somewhat inebriated state was making her respond to the alluring vampire even more so than usual.

Alice didn't look as disappointed as Claire had anticipated and Claire wondered if the vampire even ate real food. It was after one in the morning, of course she had eaten.

"Can you compel people?" Claire asked surprising herself. "Like place them under your thrall?" She frowned. "Cause it really isn't natural the way I…" She shut her mouth abruptly, realising she was revealing way too much.

Alice smirked knowingly and Claire could've sworn she noticed the vampire straighten her already perfect posture.

"No I cannot." Alice haughtily answered. "People are attracted to me because I am naturally sensual and charming." Her smirk broadened. "_You_, however, respond to me because you are_ mine_."

…

Four days later Claire was sitting downstairs watching television with Luther when Alice entered the living area dressed in a little black dress. This was nothing new of course, but that night the vampire managed to look even more extraordinary than usual. Luther whistled his appreciation and Alice beamed at him twirling around showing off her stunning, statuesque frame and if it weren't for the large canines protruding from those luscious red lips, Claire would've forgotten that she was a psycho vampire serial killer and not just the most beautiful woman she'd ever laid her eyes on.

Claire was surprised that the vampire didn't crowd her. She saw Alice for more or less an hour each day, but when she did, it felt like all of her senses insisted on focusing on the brunette. Alice would ask her about her day, if she'd eaten, if she needed anything. She would start the strangest topics of conversation before excusing herself and leaving Claire behind to wonder what had just happened.

The day before, Alice had announced that she hated the word _infection_ and when people say things like 'it's always in the last place you look'. Claire remembered the absolute adorableness of Alice's incredulous look. 'Of course it will be in the last place you look!' she almost shouted. 'Why would you continue looking if you have found it?' She'd shaken her head a few times and mumbled about stupid humans and left a grinning Claire behind to finish her meal.

"Where are you off to?" Luther asked.

"Dinner." Alice answered vaguely and he nodded as though he knew that but had forgotten.

"I wanna go visit Gran; they said she's not doing too well." Luther told Alice despondently.

The vampire pouted sadly and walked up to the side of Luther's chair throwing a lanky arm around his broad shoulders and gently kissed him on his bald head.

"Of course. Send Eugenia my love. And call me if you need me all right?" She instructed with a sincerity Claire hadn't seen the vampire express toward anyone but her.

Luther nodded and they hugged.

"Say goodbye before you leave." Alice playfully warned him before kissing both his cheeks.

"Good night Detective." She finally acknowledged Claire with a soft smile.

The redhead's eyes were wide from the seemingly absurd interaction between the vampire and her _manservant._

"How'd you meet Alice?" She asked him flat out after Alice had left, unable to hide her curiosity any longer and perhaps she was a little bit jealous too, though she'd never admit that out loud.

Luther looked apprehensive in answering, but eventually sighed before he sent Claire an emphatic look.

"She dated my mother."

Claire's head tilted at the information as she tried to gently implore Luther for more information without having to verbalise just how intrigued the statement had left her.

"I was five when I first saw her." He smiled. "She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Still is." He grinned, echoing Claire's earlier sentiments.

"Are you in love with her?" Claire blurted, swallowing down the sudden feeling of possessiveness that was pushing at her chest forcing her fists to involuntarily clench at her sides.

"I was for a long time." He chuckled. "Now I just love her. She's strangely wonderful… Once she gets under your skin, it's difficult to get her out your system." He smiled knowingly, like he had overcome an affliction Claire was still struggling with.

"So her and your mom are still on good terms?" Claire asked. "Did she turn her into a vampire?"

Luther's jaw clenched.

"Mom died in a car accident that same year I met Alice. Gran raised me. Alice came to visit often though. On birthdays, Christmases, Graduations, even though she and Mom had only been seeing each other a few weeks. Knowing Alice, I doubt it was even serious, she refuses to talk about it though. But she's always been there for me. When I hit puberty I began to see her like everyone else with a pulse sees her. _Now_ though, now she's family." He asserted.

Claire was quiet for a moment thinking over what she had heard.

"Is all that true?" She scowled, wondering whether this was a ploy to humanize the vampire so she'd soften up. It made no sense though 'cause Alice was nothing if not a straight shooter. If she wanted to fool Claire into thinking the vampire was something she was not, she could've easily done it right from a start. It certainly would've made things a whole lot easier.

Luther sighed heavily.

"I understand why this whole thing between you and her may seem crazy to you."

Claire just laughed, she found it fucking ludicrous.

"But I've known Alice for most of my life, over the last two decades or so, well at least since I've been old enough to notice, she'd become bored with life, listless and disinterested. Until she saw _you_." He emphasised. "She's everything to me. And she's not delusional or crazy or psychotic or any of the names you wanna call her because you can't deal with the truth of what's happening here. She's just way more intuitive than most and she has never done anything like this in the time that I've known her. Albert has never seen her like this either. So don't make the mistake of dismissing her. I assure you that this isn't a game."

….

It was just passing two am and Claire couldn't sleep. She was wondering what innocent person was being eaten that night during Alice's 'dinner'. She listened carefully to the faint sound of heels finally coming up the stairs, they were softer than they should've been. Had Claire not been straining to hear them, she may have missed it entirely. When she heard Alice's door softly open and close, she jumped out of bed, and started pacing the length of her room. She ran her hand through her hair in agitation, dressed in her customary Boi Shorts and a tank, not really caring that she was half naked and barefoot. She huffed and grabbed her gun from its holster, rushed out of her own room to Alice's and violently kicked the door wide open with her heal, taking out a good piece of the doorframe.

It was painful, but the sudden surge of adrenaline had her barely feeling it as she stomped through the doorway.

"Who did you kill?!" She shouted at the vampire who had just put her clutch down and now stood in front of her vanity, as the overwrought detective pointed her sidearm at the brunette's back.

It was her first time in Alice's room and Claire was surprised to find it wasn't some kinky love dungeon. It was a normal room, well everything seemed antiquated, but she couldn't understand why Alice didn't show it to her that first day and then became perplexed as to why she felt she needed to see it so bad. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focused back on the vampire who remained silent.

Alice didn't even turn around to look at Claire as she reached back and lithely unzipped her LBD, still facing the mirror on her vanity. The dress fell to the floor, pooling around her ankles and the vampire deftly stepped out of it so she was only wearing heels, a lacy black garter belt pinned to thigh high stockings and a matching pair of lacy black panties and a bra.

Claire's arm fell limply to her side and her mouth instantly went dry at the sight. The vampire looked as though she'd just stepped out of a Victoria's Secret catalogue. The detective was more a cotton panties kinda girl, Boi Shorts were definitely a favourite. She'd been with quite a few women, back when such things had still interested her. Some had put in a little more effort when they were sure they were getting laid. Claire always enjoyed it when they matched up. But _this_… did normal women just walk around like this? Did they look like _that_? All tantalizingly smooth milky soft skin? Did their garments sit on their hips and cover their breasts as though they were designed specifically for them? Claire couldn't remember. She doubted she'd ever remember or notice another woman for the rest of her life after having met Alice Abernathy.

"A short, mousy brunette." Alice finally, very casually answered, as she began removing her jewellery, starting with her earrings. "She was quirky and satisfying." The vampire impassively elaborated, taking off a thin silver bracelet, placing it in a jewellery box as Claire raptly watched her every move in the mirror.

Claire forgot why she was even in the room to begin with when Alice reached behind her to unhook her bra. The redhead's stomach flipped as she observed the flexing of the muscles on Alice's toned upper back. She wanted to walk forward, stick out her tongue and just lick from the small of Alice's back, all the way up her spine, and graze her teeth over the nape of the vampire's neck.

Claire's eager eyes darted back to the mirror where she could see Alice's breasts now, and wandered up her chest, toward her lips and then finally settled on the vampire's wide blown pupils. Alice stared at Claire with a hunger that caused a flood of arousal to instantly soak the redhead's shorts. She'd not planned on confronting the vampire, but she also hadn't been drinking since that first night and the forced sobriety was clearly starting to affect her already diminishing lucidity.

In an instant Alice was in front of her, long arms pinning the redhead as the vampire pressed her palms against the wall at Claire's sides, staring deep into startled blue eyes.

"You really should not look at me like that Claire." Alice growled lowly as she glanced toward Claire's lips.

The vampire's nostrils flared and she visibly inhaled, her eyes fluttering closed as Claire's arousal filled her senses.

"L-like what?" Claire croaked breathlessly, clutching the handle of her gun still hanging uselessly at her side.

Alice quietly studied her for what felt like an eternity and Claire had just begun to wonder if she was ever going to answer when the vampire spoke again in a low husky voice:

"Like you want to come in my mouth." Alice purred and Claire whimpered pathetically as she tried to hold her body back from moving toward Alice's heat.

All of her focus was on keeping her back against the wall next to the open door. The exit was so close, yet Claire couldn't bring herself to even attempt an escape. Alice wasn't moving any closer and Claire bit hard onto her lip, averting her gaze from the topless woman in front of her. But her head snapped back to the front again as she felt Alice lowering down onto her knees.

_Oh dear god…_

Claire's lower abdomen clenched violently as she looked down at the vampire's head now level with her groin. Alice gently took hold of her hips and Claire whimpered again at finally being touched. Her breaths were sharp and erratic and Alice kept on looking at her like she was the sexiest woman alive. Claire felt on fire, all she could think about was Alice's face buried between her thighs.

The thought produced another wave of wetness that had the vampire drawing in another deep breath. Alice growled ravenously before she curled her fingers into the material of Claire's shorts and ripped them straight from her body exposing hot naked flesh to the mercifully cool air.

The redhead cried out in both surprise and excitement and shuddered when Alice's warm soft hands now rested on her bare skin. She stared down at the vampire's thumbs soothingly rubbing over her hipbones, making her weak in the knees. Claire'd been unable to stop her legs from spreading just a little bit wider and she lifted her head toward the ceiling and shut her eyes tightly, trying to gain some control over her body.

"Claire…" That sensual gruff voice called her name and Claire looked back down to find Alice earnestly staring at her.

"Do you wish for me to continue?" She asked the dizzy redhead, who could focus on nothing but the close proximity of Alice's face to her crotch and those gentle fingers sending shockwaves through her body.

"I can smell how much you want me." Alice murmured as she let her hands caress down toward Claire's thighs. "But I'm not certain whether you are ready…" She continued speaking softly as she stroked up and down Claire quivering thighs. "I really need to taste you Claire…" Alice whispered solemnly, "… Just a taste…" She repeated distractedly, before she lowered her head and gently kissed the inside of the redhead's thigh, causing the detective's whole body to jerk abruptly, in spite of the tender gesture.

Alice continued her massaging, but looked back up at Claire.

"Perhaps…" Alice murmured, taking hold of Claire's hand that still held her weapon in a death grip, "…This gun will not kill me." She explained, before pressing the barrel against her temple. "But it will stop me if that is what you want and are unable to say the actual words. But for now I'm afraid I simply cannot resist any longer." Alice finished, then firmly pushed on the inside of Claire's thigh, spreading her legs open further, ducked her head and licked right through Claire's moist and throbbing centre.

Claire threw her head back as her free hand shot up and tangled into Alice's unnaturally soft locks, her other hand still clutching desperately at the gun pressed against the vampire's head. She couldn't _think_ let alone utter an objection. She was so worked up that she could feel her already tightly coiling body on the verge of release and Alice had barely even started her heavenly attentions.

Trembling uncontrollably, her hips bucked wildly and seconds later Claire cried out sharply as she came faster than she ever had.

It wasn't the best of orgasms, but she knew her own overzealousness was mostly to blame. Alice stilled her long tongue, pressing against Claire for a few moments as the redhead still lazily rolled her hips against it. Alice hummed appreciatively and dipped lower, licking up the remnants of Claire's unintentional climax.

Claire wanted to tell her to stop as her head started to somewhat clear, and even though Alice's curious and agile tongue still felt amazing on her, she really needed the insanity to end. She was about to say as much when Alice's head started vibrating between her thighs…

"Ah _fuck_!" Claire exclaimed in astonishment as the vampire _purred _enthusiastically and lapped up every ounce of Claire, causing her hips to start rocking again of their own accord.

When Alice grabbed hold of Claire's ass and buried her face even deeper between her thighs, the redhead callously threw her gun to the side, grabbing hold of Alice's hair with both hands and _just let go_.

She'd never felt anything so pleasurable in her entire life. Claire was certain that if Alice stopped then she would die, and she was very sure that if Alice continued she would surely die as well. And when Claire came, she came so hard, she felt as though she would never stop cumming. She cried out unabashedly as she folded into herself. Her body convulsing and her knees buckling, causing the vampire to hold her up for a while after, while Claire shuddered against Alice's vibrating tongue.

She felt Alice kissing up her torso, rising slowly, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Claire's eyes, which had been tightly shut as she tried to catch her breath fluttered open as her heart rate calmed somewhat and her brain became less foggy. Alice was staring at her with a timid smile and that same look of affection she always seemed to have reserved just for Claire.

The redhead didn't understand. It wasn't right. She felt ashamed of herself for giving in so _easily_. So when Alice ducked down to place a kiss on her lips, Claire turned her head away. In an instant Alice moved from her, leaving Claire to steady herself against the wall for support, half naked and cold from the sudden lack of contact.

She wanted to kick herself for having discarded her gun, certain that the vampire would finally lose her temper. She braced herself and turned to look at Alice again and her chest constricted at the anguished look she saw marring the brunette's beautiful features. Noticing Claire's gaze the vampire masked it instantly with a look of cold indifference. Alice said nothing as she turned and walked to her en-suite - still dressed in her heels, stockings, garter belt and panties – and closed the door behind her.

Claire heard the shower starting and she took in a few big gulps of air, feeling mortified by what she had just done. She finally managed to peel herself off of Alice's bedroom wall, retrieved her gun and went to her own room, collapsing onto the bed.

In spite of her rapidly racing mind, she fell asleep almost instantly.

….

**A/N: So… Thoughts? I've been up for 21 hours straight and am unable to properly reply to your reviews. Please forgive me, will answer questions tomorrow. Promise. Thanks for the R&R's. Greatly appreciate it.**


	9. Chapter 9

**WARNING: Sudden fluffy progress and someone gets dead.**

**Chapter 9**

**I bared my soul you waltzed right in**

"My my, Sookie Stackhouse, you just can't seem to help yourself can you?" Jill tried in vain to suppress her sniggering after a bright red Claire finished telling her what had happened.

Claire literally just growled at her comment.

"And now what? Do you wanna do it again?" Jill awkwardly enquired, not sure what to tell her friend who seemed unable to supress her intense attraction to Alice Abernathy.

Claire had a chance to shoot the vampire and to see what would happen _with_ Alice's permission. It was why she said she was there at the mansion after all, finding a way to kill them? In all honesty, Jill would rather see Claire sleeping with Alice than trying to kill her. The former was a lot less dangerous. Well for Claire, not the two women the vampire had fucked to death.

"I'm a _sick_ _pervert_…" Claire groaned, covering her face with her hands where she was sitting on Jill's couch in the ME's office. "I just can't stop thinking about her. She says she can't place me under a thrall or whatever, but I don't feel like I have _any_ control when I'm around her. It's like she's fucking leaking pheromones or something."

Jill scooted closer and gave her friend a one armed hug.

"Maybe you just need to fuck her… like properly, get it out of your system and then you won't obsess about it so much?" Jill suggested rather bluntly causing Claire to jump away from her like she'd been stabbed.

"She's a murderer Jill." Claire emphatically pointed out.

"She's a _vampire_." Jill corrected.

"She still kills people."

"Okay. Are you gonna arrest a spider for eating a fly?"

"She kills _humans_."

"I know. But she's a vampire._ She's_ not human. We have human laws, and I'm sure they have vampire laws. They eat us. Like spiders eat flies, lions eat zebras. We need to look at this from a different angle." Jill explained.

Ever since meeting Albert Wesker she'd been trying to justify it to herself, especially given the tasks he sometimes instructed her with. It made it slightly easier for the Medical Examiner to sleep at night.

"Have you been drinking?" Claire asked her seriously and it was Jill's turn to look at her in disbelief.

"No I have-" She started answering, indignant that Claire Redfield of all people would ask her that.

"-I'm sorry." Claire apologised before Jill had even finished speaking, clearly remorseful of her mistake. "I didn't even mean that Jill."

Jill nodded her acceptance because she understood the stress her friend was under.

"Do you know what Albert Wesker told me?" It was rhetorical, so Jill continued when she was sure she had Claire's full attention. "He told me that he exists to bring balance to an Earth suffering under the overpopulation of the human race. I don't necessarily believe him, but I do believe that he believes that. And if Alice shares that same sentiment it would explain the flippant way she kills. Humans are just a food source to them. Like we're nothing but a herd of cows waiting to be slaughtered for steaks."

"So you think I'm just being fattened up for the inevitable slaughter?" Claire asked with wide eyes.

"Fuck." Jill breathed. "I was hoping to relax you with that info, and know I've gone and freaked us both out even more." She chuckled bitterly looking even more upset than Claire.

After a few moments of deep contemplation Claire finally shrugged.

"Maybe I'm like a pet cow or something. The ones you can't bring yourself to eat." She smiled to put her friend at ease. Claire didn't feel like Alice would actually hurt her, but to ignore that possibility seemed rather naïve given the circumstances.

She sighed again and rose from the couch, not really feeling any different than when she had entered.

"Anyway!" She clapped her hands together, trying to get rid of all the images of the previous night flashing through her mind. "It's just another three weeks right? I can go three weeks without throwing myself at her." Claire announced, nodding determinedly as she walked out of Jill's office.

….

It had been two days and still no sign of Alice. Claire realised she'd offended the vampire, and it actually made her feel like some sort of sadist as she thought back on the image of Alice on her knees with a gun to her head and Claire's hand braided roughly into her hair. She hadn't meant for what had happened to be so belittling toward the brunette. Of course she hated that Alice had murdered innocent people, but she wasn't such a twisted fuck to purposely demean the woman because of it, especially not like _that_.

Luther had gone to visit his Gran, and though Claire could feel Alice's presence in the large mansion, she hadn't actually seen the woman since that night. In an attempt to hopefully bump into the vampire to see if she was being avoided or if Alice's absence was just a simple coincidence, she had gone to fix the doorframe to Alice's bedroom earlier that evening, but the vampire never showed, in spite of all the noise Claire had purposely made.

The anxiety caused by Alice's visual absence was starting to get to her too. She wondered what it meant, if she had upset the vampire enough to go back on her promise and kill redheads just to prove to her how easily she could.

Claire had put on weight from eating better. She felt healthier and though she still had nightmares, they weren't as bad as they usually were. She'd not had a drink in six days; too scared of what she might do with Alice – not that it had helped at all with stopping herself from giving in - but the sudden withdrawal was making her antsy.

Haunted by guilt over the possibility of what her inability to say 'no' might have caused, Claire fell into a restless sleep, plagued by hordes of dead redheads with fang marks and eventually, as always, the bloodied corpses of her siblings.

…

Alice paced outside Claire's bedroom door. She had heard the whimpers and mutterings before. But she could practically feel Claire's heart racing through the door that night and the mumbled names were turning into anxious moans.

Her ego had been bruised. Though she wasn't sure what she had expected exactly. The vampire knew it wouldn't be _that_ easy. The way Claire's body responded to her was proof of a physical attraction she had already ascertained. She'd avoided the redhead out of embarrassment, wondering if she'd pushed too much too soon. Of course she'd given Claire ample opportunity to back out. But Claire wanted it as much as she had, and that was enough for Alice to let go of her resolve and finally have a taste. The redhead proved to be even more delicious than Alice had imagined.

She looked at where Claire had fixed her doorframe and hoped it was some sort of sign that Claire wasn't upset about her shameless seduction. Regardless, it was a sweet gesture that made the vampire's heart swell even more for the woman. She hadn't even known that the detective was so handy around the house.

"_K-Mart_!" Claire's anguished scream tore through Alice's chest like she was being impaled with a blunt sword and she flashed into the room.

She watched Claire fighting with her sheets and reflexively lowered into the bed, taking hold of the strong, struggling woman as gently as she could. It took a while, Claire elbowing her twice in the gut, but she seemed to finally register the warm body through her sleep and started settling. Alice smiled as Claire's breathing calmed and the redhead turned into the vampire's embrace. Absently she started stroking the mass of red hair that was saturated with sweat, soothingly rubbing her other hand over Claire's back.

"Alice…" Claire murmured still half asleep, as her arm circled the vampire's waist and held on tightly.

Alice purred contently as Claire made sure to mould her whole body into the brunette's and it wasn't long after that the vampire's face split into a full out grin when Claire started softly snoring into her neck.

…..

Jill ducked under the yellow police tape surrounding a large tree in the Raccoon City Botanical Gardens and made her way over to Claire who she had called a few minutes prior. Ocampo and Kennedy were already on scene and Jill glared at them, daring them to object as she walked Claire toward the female body with her flaming red hair sprawled over the coroner's gurney.

"Alice didn't do this." Claire muttered defensively, as her eyes raked over the brutalized body of the victim.

She noticed a similar bite mark on the inside of the victim's left thigh, but another was noticeable in her neck. The body was completely covered in blood, her face pulled into a pained grimace. It stood vastly in contrast to the neat crime scene Alice always left, her victims weren't physically assaulted as this one clearly was.

"Both the femoral and carotid were punctured. Estimated time of death's between 1 and 4 am." Jill continued, ignoring Claire's declaration. "She was found up in that tree." Jill motioned to a large Oak tree where the victim's blood had started to brown against the bark. "Preliminary cause of death seems to be exsanguination."

Claire glowered at the viciousness of it all. She knew it wasn't Alice because firstly the vampire had promised and secondly, she was pretty sure that Alice had spent the night she'd had the most peaceful slumber in three years with Claire wrapped in her arms. She'd half woken when the vampire got into bed with her, the nightmare, like they always did, left her shaken and she'd found such immense comfort in Alice's embrace she could do nothing more than succumb to it.

She'd woken up the next morning when the vampire attempted to sneakily pry herself out of Claire's tight hold presumably wary of what Claire's reaction would be to waking up next to her. She was right, Claire had panicked and she knew when Alice realised this, because the vampire had been out the door an instant later, sparing them both the awkward morning after.

Claire couldn't remember the last time she had felt even remotely at ease. Her guard was always up, she constantly anticipated something bad happening. Because something bad usually did in her case. And yet the previous night, when Alice had held her, she had felt safe, for the first time in years she had felt protected. Because even though the vampire evoked a menagerie of feelings within her – anger, excitement, frustration, confusion, infatuation, lust, confusion, confusion -, Claire had never experienced any fear or danger. Even though Albert Wesker wasn't the one stalking her, Claire's fight-or-flight instincts had kicked in the instant she saw him. That had never been the case with Alice. No, Claire had entirely different instincts the first time she saw Alice Abernathy.

That familiar prickling at the back of her neck started up again and when she turned, she saw Alice on the sidewalk by the entrance of the park, dressed in her traditional LBD and stilettos, her eyes locked on the redhead as she spoke on the phone.

Jill's eyes followed Claire's gaze but said nothing as her friend started toward the vampire, much like she had that day in the club.

"Let's take her home!" Jill shouted her techs into action.

…

Claire walked purposefully in spite of her eyes being seemingly caught in a wide awake REM cycle as she wasn't sure whether she wanted to look at Alice's gorgeous body or the shiny red Lamborghini the vampire was now pacing next to. Either frame was top of her class, stylish and sleek, undeniably powerful… And both together was certainly heaven on the eyes.

Alice hung up her call when Claire reached her.

"I need to see the body."

"You can't. This isn't my case. And Jill's already set to head back."

"I did not do this." Alice stated solemnly.

"I know." Claire answered, averting her gaze from the vampire's penetrating stare, she hadn't seen Alice in two days, it was difficult not to try and catch up on all the exquisiteness her eyes had missed.

"My brother needs me to find out who did. I have my suspicions, but I will need to get closer to the body to make a positive identification."

"I'm sure Jill will let you have a look."

Alice nodded her gratitude, then turned to her car as the passenger door opened up toward the sky.

"You want to ride with me?" She smirked, having obviously seen Claire admiring the vehicle.

Claire grinned widely as she eagerly slipped into the car seat inhaling deeply once the door was closed: the scent of Alice mixed with leather. Out the window she noticed the wide eyed gapes of everyone that was on the crime scene. She smirked to herself and looked toward the driver's side where Alice glided into the bucket seat, the lowness of which caused the hem of the vampire's dress to ride up even higher on her thigh. Claire swallowed thickly and shifted a blind gaze out the windshield in front of her.

Trapped in a confined space with the alluring vampire wasn't the brightest idea she's ever had.

When the engine purred to life, she was surprised to hear _Leather and Lace_ blasting from the speakers. She waited for the vampire to change the station until she noticed it was an mp3 playing from a flash drive.

Alice seemed unperturbed at her choice in music.

"Stevie Nicks?" Claire asked, as they pulled away from the park.

"I loved the eighties and even more so the music." The vampire grinned openly.

Claire nodded, trying not to stare at Alice's stunning smile. She loved eighties music too. Her mom used to constantly play it, especially when she was cooking or cleaning the house.

"Thanks for last night." Claire murmured involuntarily, not having meant to say it but meaning every word nonetheless.

Alice nodded but said nothing, which Claire was grateful for. The redhead had forgotten how amazing it felt to get a good night's sleep.

"What happened at the K-Mart?" Alice hesitantly asked after a while of awkward silence and Claire nearly laughed at how perplexed she looked.

The vampire had admitted to researching her and she was probably wondering how she had missed something big happening to Claire in a K-Mart.

"When my sister was six, she, Mom and I were in a K-Mart when she asked why her name was Dahlia. You see I'm Claire, my brother was Chris, dad was Christopher, mom Katherine and she was Dahlia." Claire spoke fondly of the day, trying not to get fixated on the past tenses. "She insisted that she felt like she didn't belong 'cause we all had 'k' sounding names. So I had jokingly said that from then on she'd be known as K-Mart. It was silly and stupid, and started out as just teasing to get a rise out of her, but the name stuck." Claire grinned and then felt an overwhelming wave of melancholy overtake her, even while she was happy to have remembered something other than the day they'd died.

Alice glanced at her change in demeanour and started going through the folders on the stick as she easily sped through the traffic.

"Police, George Michael, Prince, Madonna, Cindy Lauper, John Lennon. Now _they_ knew how to make music." She smiled at Claire. "Not this Macarena, Gangnam style, Harlem Shake, Twerking disasters, you kids tend to listen to these days." She ranted like she often did about the oddest things.

"Okay _grandma_." Claire chuckled amusedly.

"Well there are a few contemporary exceptions of course, but that's not the point right now." She smirked devilishly and winked at Claire. "No one will ever come close to _Queen_ though." Alice got this very serious look, like the redhead shouldn't even try and joke about that statement. "Freddie Mercury was a singing god. I saw them perform live at Wembley in 1986." She continued still rapidly going through what seemed like a million folders to Claire. "The old stadium had so much more character than the new one…" The vampire trailed off at what Claire knew would've turned into another rant, but Alice smiled wistfully instead, before turning and looking at her so intensely Claire had to glance at the road wondering when they were going to crash into something.

"Do you know what the best love song of all time is?" Alice rasped, her voice dropping a few octaves and Claire's brain went instantly foggy.

Alice didn't elaborate any further and just pressed play.

As each of the notes of the intro played, Claire's grin spread wider across her face and she just stared at the vampire, absolutely mesmerized, as the first lyrics started over the car speakers.

_I wanna love you and treat you right;_

_I wanna love you, every day and every night_

Claire laughed right from her belly, never would she have _ever_ predicted that she'd be sitting in a Lamborghini, next to a gorgeous, reggae –loving vampire.

Alice bit on her lip to keep a mad grin from spreading across her face at getting Claire's mood to change when the detective had gotten stuck on those horrid memories again.

"I am being serious Claire." She asserted with a soft smile. And the vampire was very serious; she truly believed that _Is this love_ by Bob Marley was the best love song ever. "The lyrics are simple, succinct, and cover all the necessities."

_I-I-I-I-I-I'm willing and able,_

_So I, throw my cards on your table._

"You're so weird Alice." Claire shook her head, but was still grinning at the brunette.

The vampire said nothing to that, only smiled contently, like Claire had given her a compliment and started singing softly under the loud music, seemingly focused on the road again.

Claire liked the song too, hadn't heard it in years though. She had almost gotten stuck in her thoughts again and was happy Alice didn't ask her anymore about her family. The vampire's change in topic, no matter how abrupt, was also very entertaining.

_Is this love, is this love, is this love, is this love that I'm feelin'?_

Claire just stared dumbly as Alice continued singing, seemingly unaware of the redhead's blatant appraisal. Claire doubted Alice didn't know though.

She was so engrossed with watching the vampire sing every lyric of '_I don't wanna wait in vain'_ and was almost at the end of '_Redemption Song'_, that she didn't even notice they'd pulled up at the precinct. Alice switched off the engine and flashed Claire a demure smile before gracefully slipping out of the car. Claire followed suit, scowling at herself for spending her first ride in a Lamborghini gawking at the driver. It wasn't like she'd ever be able to save up and buy one for herself. Not even if she worked every day till she was two hundred and six.

It was strange how Alice's wealth never made her uncomfortable, it was just simply a part of who the vampire was. She didn't hide it or flaunt it. Alice just simply was filthy, stinking rich and still it couldn't over-shadow her seemingly natural charm and elegance. Claire was certain that Alice would get the same response wearing torn up jeans and driving a beaten up old truck.

_Hmmm… That actually sounds very sexy._

Silently berating herself, she absently held the door to the precinct open for Alice who murmured her thanks as she sauntered inside followed by a still pensive Claire, who only stopped her rebuking inner monologue when she noticed the stares Alice was receiving from the other police officers. Her scowl deepened and she possessively placed a hand on the small of the vampire's back to guide her toward the elevator and away from the leering eyes.

The redhead wasn't even aware of her actions until she reached the lift and removed her hand to press the button summoning the elevator. She frowned when she discovered how at ease she was around Alice's body and then flushed bright red. She was saved from making eye contact with the smirking vampire when they were joined by Captain Douglas, Chief Irons and Mayor Michael Warren. Her eyes widened in shock to see all three of them there at once, blatantly ignoring her to stare at Alice with overly polite eagerness.

"Miss Abernathy." The Mayor greeted while he appreciatively raked his eyes over Alice. "Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your union with Miss Redfield." He smirked, looking very pleased with himself.

Alice turned a dark gaze on him, eyes flashing dangerously, but she smiled courteously in spite of the low growl that had started rumbling in her chest. The three men took a collective step back at the predacious sound.

"My courtship of _Detective_ Redfield is still a work in progress." She clarified, having ceased her growling but managing an icy tone that had more or less the same effect. "I had informed my brother of my intentions out of respect for his standing in this city. He informed _you_ because unlike myself, he has the patience to tolerate your pestilence." Her condescension landed like a whip across their faces and they were visibly shrinking within themselves as if suddenly having been reminded that she was in fact a dangerous predator.

_Gone_ was the woman happily singing to Bob Marley just a while ago.

In spite of herself, Claire found the change fascinating, amusing and extremely sexy.

"It is because of my loyalty toward my brother that I will allow you your misguided assumption that you have any right to remark on myself and Detective Redfield's private affairs. I assure you that next time you choose to forget whom you are addressing, I will not be as gracious in my admonishment."

"I sincerely apologise-" The Mayor was silenced by another threatening growl and nodded hurriedly as he ushered the other two stunned men away and the elevator pinged to announce its arrival.

After making sure no one else heard Alice's vicious growling, Claire stepped forward and held the door for Alice to enter, gawking at her again in awe and admiration. She had to move passed the vampire occupying the centre of the small lift and stood in a corner pressed to the back of it, allowing her eyes to roam appreciatively over the seemingly harmless looking female body.

It wasn't like Alice was ever either or. She just _was_. That predator lurking inside of her was always noticeable, she never hid it from Claire. The redhead hasn't seen her entirely let the vampire side of her out though. Claire wondered if that first-hand experience would be what it took to finally smother her growing attraction to the brunette.

"I hate politicians." Alice smirked as the doors pinged closed again.

…..

Jill watched Claire holding the door for Alice who politely nodded her thanks before they both walked over to where she had the latest redhead out on the examination table. She'd just arrived, and was surprised that she'd beaten the Lamborghini to the precinct. _Alice must've taken the long way_, she smirked to herself as her eyes curiously watched Claire move beside Alice as though a magnetic force was keeping her there.

"Dr Valentine." Alice greeted.

"Miss Abernathy." Jill replied, deciding she was rather comfortable with keeping things so formal between them.

Claire's eyes finally moved from Alice to the victim, settling on the puncture wounds in the victim's neck.

"May I?" Alice asked Jill, stepping toward the body when Jill nodded her consent.

She was going to have to fake another cause of death in any case. Wesker usually called her out to forge death certificates or write fake reports on causes of deaths. The situation was always contained though, but the entire CSU and detectives Kennedy and Ocampo had seen this particular redhead and her wounds and have already started demanding answers.

Alice leaned forward and started daintily sniffing the body, Claire wondered how she still managed to look so sexy doing something so disgusting.

"Lemme guess." Jill offered as Alice straightened from the corpse. "An angry ex's masterpiece to show how she's going to slice Claire up in a jealous rage."

The vampire grinned at her and Jill suddenly realised why it was so hard for Claire to take her eyes off of Alice. The woman was aberrantly dazzling.

"Very close Dr Valentine." Alice husked, impressed at the deduction and Claire stepped a little closer to the two women staring appreciatively at one another.

"So?" She asked feeling the need to say something.

Alice smirked knowingly at Claire but turned to Jill again.

"It serves more as a mockery of my masterpiece rather than an actual attempt at art." Alice explained.

Jill's brows scrunched together.

"You mean you _actually_ have an angry ex out there threatening Claire?" She asked worriedly as Claire seemed more irritated than scared at the prospect.

"Claire will not be harmed. This was intended as a taunt rather than a threat."

"And the location?" Jill enquired. Alice's 'artwork' had been found at very particular sites.

"It was where we had sex for the first time." Alice bluntly answered and smirked at Jill's shocked face.

"Up a tree?" Claire shrieked in disbelief.

"Yes, 'up a tree'." Alice chuckled at the two shocked faces. "Please do not trouble yourselves any further, I will handle the situation and make sure it does not happen again. My brother will send instructions for the body. I do apologise for the inconvenience." She sincerely told Jill before turning to Claire. "I will be home late, do not wait up." She winked and disappeared out the door.

Jill turned to Claire who was still staring at the closed door Alice had exited through and smacked her upside the head.

"What are you? _Twelve_?" She shouted at Claire. "_Focus_ Redfield. There's another vampire Picasso out there and I don't care what Alice Abernathy says, you need to fucking watch your back."

…..

**A/N: I'm a bit iffy on this chapter. You guys should really listen to Naked – Tracy Bonham (Chapter Titles) It's like Claire and Alice's theme song. I'm also intrigued and distracted by the missing Malaysian Flight… Where did it disappear to? They were nowhere near the Bermuda Triangle. End Rambling here.**

**I've always seen Claire as the dark horse of this story. She suffered great trauma after losing her family, she's emotionally unstable, reckless, indifferent most times and antagonistic toward anyone that isn't Jill or Carlos (Well she used to be) other times. She beats up suspects and didn't seem to care whether she would get hurt or not. She's not a bad person though, she's got a good heart. **

**And Alice… Well Alice is acting like a vampire isn't she? All things considered, out of the two of them, she's way more stable and comfortable in her own skin. **

**Thanks for the R&R's!**

**Angelsgir: Looks like trusting in the plan was a good thing;)**

**Clairice: Nope, Claire didn't last long at all!**

**Avienda: When you read something erotic and then say 'I need to go do something now' there's really only one thing my gutter brain comes up with hehehe**

**Tlc125: That's exactly what I was going for! To not portray Claire as being victimised and to make sure that it's clear that Alice's intentions are pure, no matter how unsavoury her acts are. And thanks for noticing that Claire was getting better XD I only got around to actually blatantly stating it in this chapter, but you caught on quick**

**StarrH: Thanks for the flattering review. I had started on an RE FF set in the first RE Movie, but I wanted stick to Clairice, so figuring a way to get Claire in there without messing with the story too much got me thinking up Beloved instead (no idea how that happened). So if I do write another story, it would mostly likely be that, and it would be kinda AU since Claire wasn't with Alice during the initial outbreak. Sorry.**

**Guest: 'Chick is psychotically romantic' hahahaha that line brightened up my day!**

**TheQueen: Thanks for the R&R, hope the fic keeps on being a good read.**

**Webminky: I'm not sure how you could misinterpret me rubbing lotion on my butt and mooning you, as anything other than me demanding anal beads. Sigh. Clients are a no go on me working and writing. It's not like they pay me for my time or anything… oh wait, yes they do.**

**It's tricky to write Alice both violent and likeable at the same time, especially since I have no intention of having her change into anything other than a predator. I was surprised no one said anything after the first chapter where she killed Olivia Tate and carried her over her shoulder and dumped her in the woods. Not complaining though lol Claire's really fucked up, she has no idea what to do and guilt rules a lot of her decision making processes. She wont badger Alice over the murders, cause she sees herself as a murderer, but she still has a good heart, so will kick down doors and demand what innocent died, until the sight of Alice's boobies makes her swoon again lol **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**You keep it in, I let it loose**

Jill was busy diligently typing up her fake report on the most recently mutilated redheaded victim when Claire came barging into her office and distractedly slammed the door behind her, causing the ME to slightly jump in her seat.

"It's Rain fucking Ocampo!" Claire incredulously screeched at her.

Jill furrowed her brows in questioning confusion.

"_Rain_ is Alice's ex!" Claire shouted at her again in a strained, uncharacteristically high pitched voice. "I saw them leaving the building together. It all makes so much sense now!" The worked up detective blindly lowered onto the couch as she continued talking, seemingly to herself. "She's never been the friendliest, but ever since Alice came into my life she's been glaring daggers at me… I swear if looks could kill…" She finally shifted her stunned features to Jill. "What could Alice _possibly_ have seen in her?" She asked. "They looked all chummy when they left. All happy fangy smiles and shit." Claire muttered, grimacing like she just tasted something unpleasant on her tongue. "Alice didn't even seem upset that she killed someone and basically threatened to kill _me_."

The detective stopped her rant and fell into a silent brooding state as she dejectedly slumped back into the couch. Jill watched her curiously for a long time, absorbing everything Claire had just yelled at her.

"So let me get this straight…" The ME started, her brows still furrowed in contemplation. "Rain is Alice's sex-up-a-tree ex, you know this 'cause you saw them together and Rain had fangs… And what you're struggling to deal with is that Alice didn't seem more angry at what Rain had done? The same Alice who herself had killed and displayed two women and had also told you that she didn't believe our current victim was a threat against you?" Jill voice was laced with sarcasm. "What about the fact that we've been working with a _vampire_ for the last_ four_ years and _nobody_ even noticed?" She asked the now self-conscious looking detective.

"Yeah, that too. _Obviously."_ Claire sheepishly mumbled, causing Jill to chuckle softly.

"Alice said she'll handle it, she didn't say how exactly she'd be doing that." Jill reminded Claire causing the redhead to scowl. "But to be safe, you should stay out of it." She warned.

Clearly Claire was jealous, but she doubted the woman would ever admit to it, or wanted to talk about it. Claire was undeniably courageous, but that bravado would sometimes manifest itself at the most inopportune times. And given how unstable Claire's emotions were of late, Jill was concerned that her friend would do something stupid like confront Rain, the _vampire_, about the murder and her history with Alice.

"Let's go out tonight, take your mind off of things." Jill suggested cautiously, wondering how the invitation would be received.

Claire got up as distractedly as she had come in, but nodded her confirmation with a sheepish smile, before wandering out the door again, deep in thought.

…

The second she stepped foot in _Wonderland_ Claire regretted her choice of establishment. She wasn't sure why she had thought it a good idea considering the last time she was there she had broken down in the vampire's arms and completely humiliated herself. Not that Alice had ever been tactless enough to put her in the position of having to talk about that night.

She let out a long suffering sigh and headed straight for the bar, Jill following quietly behind her. Claire was very grateful that her friend hadn't started teasing her about her palpable jealousy. She had been way more upset that Rain was Alice's ex, hardly considering what it meant that nobody in the _police_ force had noticed a vampire amongst them. The implication of that was unsettling. They could be anywhere at any given time.

"Let's go somewhere else." Jill whispered urgently next to her and Claire noticed that she'd just blindly been staring at the tumbler filled with untouched Scotch in front of her.

Her brows knitted at Jill's sudden request, but she was distracted by that familiar prickling feeling at the back of her neck. Jill had taken hold of her elbow trying to drag her toward the exit, but Claire stood her ground firmly, as she scanned the crowd and wasn't surprised to find Alice on the dance floor.

The vampire wasn't looking at her though, instead her attention seemed entirely focused on a sultry Detective Ocampo writhing up against her. Seeing them like that felt like a sucker punch to the gut: startling and painful. Claire couldn't hide her grimace as she turned back to the bar and finally downed the Scotch.

"They're just dancing…" Jill offered carefully. "We don't know –

- It's fine Jill." Claire muttered, before signalling the bartender for another drink.

She wanted to leave, to be alone, to get shitfaced drunk, but she wouldn't give Alice the satisfaction. '_Not a game'_. _Well fuck Luther and fuck the vampire. And fuck the stupid game she was playing._

"You wanna go?" Jill asked worriedly.

"No." Claire's answer was instant. "Let's go dance."

She spent the following half hour purposely not looking in the direction she'd last seen Alice and Rain in. It took all of her strength to not look for that amount of time, but finally she couldn't stop herself any longer and started scanning the crowd, but the two vampires were nowhere in sight.

She stayed for another hour, entirely for Jill's sake, dancing and talking about everything but Alice or relating to Alice, which proved rather difficult for Claire and she eventually took her leave from her very worried friend and went home.

….

Dragging her feet up the stairs of the Arklay mansion, Claire just wanted to go and fall into her very comfortable bed. But when she reached the top she faintly heard the strangest sounds coming from a different wing than her and Alice's bedrooms. She walked slowly toward it, but upon getting closer, she swiftly drew her side arm at the now loud animalistic growling she heard. It reminded her of a documentary she watched about a pride of lions. The deep purring sounds, albeit softer and a lot more subtle in this instance, sounded eerily similar to when they had been feeding on a water buffalo.

She hurried towards the noises, her eyes wide with horror as she realised that the vampire must be feeding on yet another victim right at that very moment. She burst through the door of one of Alice's numerous guest bedrooms, much like she had that night Alice had given her the best orgasm of her life, and summarily halted and blanched at the sight which greeted her.

Instantly a rush of nausea swept over Claire as she could just stand there and stare at Alice lying back on the couch, stark naked, and Rain Ocampo perched comfortably between her thighs. The noises had stopped when she entered and Rain had slightly turned her head in Claire's direction, smirked smugly, and then lowered her head to continue as though there wasn't any interruption at all. The guttural noises started up again, and Claire realised that it was Rain who she had heard_. _

_How could Alice do this? _

Her eyes slowly travelled over the lanky brunette's taut abdomen, up over her breasts and when she looked up into Alice's face, the vampire was gazing directly at her with a voraciously needy stare.

Claire swallowed dryly, her nausea gradually being replaced by arousal at the brunette's penetrating gaze. A low purring became audible through Rain's vicious growling and Claire recognized it as Alice's. It instantly took her back to that night where the vampire had gone down on her knees, purring in between her thighs and Claire bit hard on her lip in remembrance, wanting desperately to leave, but Alice's hungry eyes kept her glued to the spot.

She watched the flush spread over the vampire's heaving chest and up her neck, and eventually settled on the vampire's cheeks tinting them a soft pink.

_God she was beautiful._

Claire's eyes drifted back down to Alice's hardened nipples, wondering what they would feel like between her teeth, but when she heard a deep throaty moan, she looked up into those passionate green eyes again, still regarding her with such intensity, it had Claire's stomach violently clenching in response.

She looked toward the lusciousness of Alice's slightly parted lips, wishing that she had kissed Alice that night, increasingly regretting that she had pulled away with each passing moment. So when the vampire sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, Claire whimpered loudly, as a wave of arousal left her weak in the knees.

Alice's eyes flashed recognition and she inhaled deliberately, reaching out to hold Rain's head in place, braiding her long, slender fingers into a silky black mane as her hips started rhythmically rolling off the couch and right into Rain's face. Alice's breaths came out in rushed, urgent, gasps and through it all, her eyes never left Claire's.

The redhead knew she should leave, she should've left a long time ago, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot. She felt jealous, angry and embarrassed at what she'd walked in on, but mostly the way Alice was looking at her, as though it was Claire causing her such pleasure, left the detective with an overpowering surge of rampant desire.

She watched mesmerized as Alice's laboured breaths turned into harsh, rasping groans, while she rolled her hips increasingly faster into Rain's mouth.

Claire couldn't look away.

She didn't even try to as Alice threw her head back, arching magnificently from the couch - finally breaking eye contact with a soaked and agonizingly throbbing Claire - as her body went completely still and she let out the sexiest moan the redhead had ever heard.

Claire tried again to will her body to leave but she couldn't take her eyes off of the trembling work of art that was Alice Abernathy's, post orgasmic body. That was until a snarling Rain appeared in her line of sight, menacingly baring her fangs at a surprised Claire. Fangs she never knew the SVU detective even had.

Well Rain never smiled, and Claire never paid her much attention in any case, so the oversight was understandable.

"Get the fuck out!" Rain viciously growled and Claire could understand her anger, she really really could. But when the enraged vampire took two threatening steps toward her, Claire's arm instinctually flew up and shot Rain right through her forehead.

The movement had startled Claire. Rain had looked so feral that Claire was certain she would attack. Mutilating redheads and leaving them up trees had done nothing to convince her otherwise. She stared down at the lifeless looking body bleeding all over Alice's expensive carpet and her eyes flashed to the lanky brunette, wide with dread.

"Did I kill her?" Claire asked the woman who had wrapped herself in a thigh high, blood-red silk kimono, looking the epitome of poised serenity. "I'm so sorry Alice, she was coming at me and I just reacted." Claire hastily explained, turning back to Rain.

She looked so _human_ laying there that Claire's stomach churned uncomfortably and the feeling of nausea returned.

Alice said nothing as she walked passed Claire and Rain toward her bag and took out her phone, pressed one on the keypad and held it to her ear.

"Everything is fine brother." Alice sighed into the phone after a few moments. "Rain had been posturing and Claire misconstrued it as an actual threat and shot her through the head."

Claire was flabbergasted at the nonchalance of Alice's tone and behaviour. Didn't she care about Rain at all?

"…Yes. Seems to have penetrated the dorsolateral prefrontal… Difficult to say, but I cannot keep her here, it's not safe for Claire, but I will go with Dr Warner to ensure everything goes smoothly… Thank you… Yes, she is quite something; I did inform you of this…" Alice grinned proudly into the phone. "…Yes I will come and see you soon so we may speak in person." Alice laughed softly, before she hung up.

"How can you be so cold hearted?" Claire shouted at the vampire, her own guilt at what she'd done strongly showing.

"Rain will be fine Claire." Alice told her with a hint of amusement. "However, I cannot guarantee your safety should she regain consciousness and she's still in this house with you. I will move her somewhere secure and ensure that she heals." Alice sounded like she had to go and do a chore she wasn't quite fond of.

"But…" Claire squeaked out. "But… She's shot in the fucking head Alice!" Claire pointed at the body as if prompting the vampire to see what she was seeing. "She looks dead, she's not even breathing!"

"Her heart is still beating, however faintly that may be. She's not dead."

Then Claire remembered how Alice had pressed the gun against her own head and told Claire it wouldn't kill her.

"Oh…" Claire relaxed slightly, but then tensed up again when she realised that if Rain didn't plan on killing her before, she would surely want to now.

"You should get some rest Claire. Rain will recuperate and she will not come after you. I promise." Alice guaranteed as though Claire had spoken her concerns out loud.

The still stunned redhead only nodded distractedly and wandered out the guest room toward her own, feeling too exhausted by the day's events to do much else.

….

Alice only returned to the mansion after the sun was up, mentally fatigued from her long conversation with Rain. Talking had never really been their forte. She sighed as she closed the door behind her, turning around to find Claire descending the staircase. The vampire was delighted at how much healthier the beautiful detective looked compared to only a few weeks prior. The dark rings under her eyes have gone and her skin wasn't as pale anymore.

Claire was wearing a cobalt blue button down silk shirt - which perfectly matched her eyes - tucked into a pair of black pants. On her belt, her gun was holstered at her side and her badge rested on the front of her hip. Her hair was freshly washed and dried falling in waves just passed her shoulders.

The vampire resisted the urge to growl out her possession at the sight. She doubted Claire even realised how appealing she looked. Alice envied the entire RPD for getting the chance to just look at the gorgeous detective whenever they wanted. The previous night, the redhead's blatant jealousy mixed with arousal had turned Alice on so much she couldn't bring herself to even attempt to stop Rain's eager tongue.

They had made so much progress the day before. From the light hearted car ride to Claire's subconscious attentiveness. Alice was hopeful and things seemed to be finally falling into place.

She watched as Claire reached the bottom of the stairs and casually leaned a shoulder against the wall, crossed her arms over her chest and settled a hard gaze on the vampire.

"Since you clearly aren't as in love with me as you claimed, maybe I could move back to my house now?" Claire suggested with a hint of bitterness she very poorly tried to hide.

Alice's immediate laughter echoed throughout the large, quiet house, causing the redhead to angrily narrow her eyes at her.

…

She didn't understand why Alice was laughing. This wasn't funny at all.

"Is this just a game to you?" She asked the infuriating woman. "Uprooting my entire life and then laughing about it?" She hadn't meant to sound so hurt, but at least it got the vampire to stop her laughing and seriously look at her.

"When had I ever proclaimed to be in love with you?" Alice asked.

Claire frowned and straightened from the wall, dropping her arms to her sides. Now that she was thinking about it, Alice had never actually said that she was in love with her.

"What I had said was that you are –

- _I'm yours_, yeah I remember." Claire finished offhandedly crossing her arms again, as she tried to mask her wounded pride at her assumption, but the vampire was nonetheless warmly affected by hearing Claire say those words.

"We do not exist in the wonderful world of _Twilight_ Claire." Alice grimaced as she said it. "We are getting to know each other. Our connection is unquestionable. I truly believe that you are meant to be mine, but you seem less convinced of that fact, and having been around for quite some time, I know that life is not always fair and that we create our own fate." She gritted her teeth as though Claire had reminded her of an awful truth. "You are here in my home so we can get to know each other so that we may actually get the chance to develop deeper, less _carnal_ feelings for one another. And in all honesty Claire, it has not been that long, but I already care about you a lot more than is sensible." Alice sighed. "It had not been my intention to have you see what you saw last night and I do apologise for that. I was not expecting you home, you and Doctor Valentine usually stay out much later, and the situation fast got out of hand. Rain and I have always been better at expressing ourselves physically and she understood that it would be our last time together. She had accepted my intentions toward you, and might I add you have yet to do so, leaving me a bit perplexed as to why you are questioning me on this matter?" Alice finished and sent a challenging gaze at Claire.

The redhead uncrossed her arms again, straightened up and averted her gaze guiltily. She didn't even realise that Alice had just called her out on feelings she hadn't even voiced out loud. The topic was regarding Alice's feelings. Not Claire's.

No, the detective was too absorbed in her own confused emotions to form a defence. She knew she had no right to be upset. _She_ had interrupted _them_, Alice didn't owe her anything. In fact the vampire had made sure to be way on the other side of the house for her rendezvous. It would've been preferable if they'd gone to Rain's place, Claire thought, but it was Alice's house and the vampire could do whoever the fuck she wanted to in it. The sooner Claire could forget about the previous night, the better. So instead of rising to the challenge, she did the only thing she could and lamely deflected, praying Alice would let it go.

"What's your issue with Twilight?" She had noted Alice's distaste when mentioning it.

Alice visibly bristled at the question.

"It is a blatant defamation of character!" The vampire exclaimed. "Had my brother not stopped me I would have relished in exsanguinating that author." She growled in frustration.

Claire tilted her head inquisitively, trying to hide her amusement at how worked up the vampire suddenly was at the subject.

"Look at me." Alice arrogantly stated, lifting her arms in the air, palms up, to display herself for Claire's viewing pleasure. The detective had no qualms obliging the command. "I have a pulse, a _heartbeat_." She emphasized. "I am not some cold, undead statue with crocodilian teeth which appear and disappear at will. Where do they go? Is it _magic_?" She asked Claire who really had no answer and found it increasingly difficult to bite down the laughter building inside of her at Alice's rant.

"Vampires do not exist as a result of some _mystical_ curse." She seethed, lowering her arms and managing to straighten her dignified frame even further. "I am the pinnacle of evolutionary _perfection_." She stalked ever closer to the detective. "I am on the very _top_ of the food chain." She halted right in front of Claire. "I. Do. Not. _Sparkle_." Alice heatedly snarled and Claire bit hard onto her bottom lip, to keep from giggling at the raging woman.

Had she been anyone else, and had Alice been any other vampire, she would've been scared shitless by the show of belligerence. But as it were, Claire could only smile at how adorable Alice was when she was raving like that.

"Actually, when the light hits you a certain way…" Claire murmured, uselessly fighting her grin. "…it gives you a kind of luminous –

She was stopped by a ferocious roar as Alice glowered at her, daring her to finish her sentence.

"Okay, okay." Claire chuckled softly, grinning widely as she held her hands up in surrender. "I get it. And I'm sorry 'bout shooting Rain. It was a reflex." She apologised honestly. "She's not gonna attack me at work is she?" Claire asked only half joking. Well, an eighth joking.

Alice took a step back and relaxed considerably.

"Rain will not harm you." She stated confidently and Claire took her at her word, like she should've done from the beginning of this entire Rain fiasco.

She felt a whole lot more confident now that she knew that a bullet would at least stop a vampire when aimed correctly.

"Well, I gotta go." Claire stated, suddenly feeling awkward now that Alice was staring at her with that tenderness again.

The vampire sure as hell looked at her as though she was in love with her, but that was a matter Claire was glad not to debate on any further.

"Jill loves Twilight by the way." She couldn't resist the jab at the vampire's expense. "Maybe I'll borrow her DVD's and you and I can watch a movie or two tonight? You can tell me everything that's wrong with it."

She watched a broad smile spreading over Alice's face.

"Your presence might just make it worth the torture." The vampire suavely responded and Claire smiled back with a slight blush settling on her cheeks.

"See you later _Sparkles_." She had to get in a final teasing remark, laughing as she rushed out the door and away from the scowling vampire.

…..

It was only when she was sitting at her desk back at work when she realised that she sort of planned to have a date with Alice that night. Her heart sped up in a mixture of excitement and panic and she tried in vain to talk it down again. It wasn't a date. They lived together. It was just a pair of roommates having a movie night. That was all it was.

When she had arrived at the station, Kennedy had informed her that Rain had gotten a transfer and a promotion out of state. His former partner had called him up with the news that morning.

"She also said I should give you a message." Leon's distracted confusion as to why his former partner would have a message for Claire of all people, helped the redhead to hide her trepidation as to what choice words Rain had for her after the events of the previous night.

After Claire's expectant stare and no offer of clarification as to why Rain would have anything to say to her, he reach into his pocket and took out a post-it he had clearly written to help him remember. Instead of just handing it to Claire he chose to read it out loud.

"_Tell Redfield her month is almost up and that I'll be there waiting for when she goes and fucks up the best thing to have ever happened to her, in her miserable, pathetic life. And fuck her for being such a great shot and ruining what was sure to be an epic goodbye fuck_." Leon looked curiously at Claire. "She then growled into the phone very angrily." He chuckled. "Were you screwing Rain? 'Cause she sounded really pissed at you." He whispered conspiratorially.

"What?! _No_!" Claire replied exasperated at the thought, but calmed herself quickly. Leon's curiosity was already sparked enough. "Anyway, thanks for the message." She muttered and hurried away before Leon could ask her anything else.

At least the bit of gossip about Rain's abrupt departure kept everyone else distracted for the rest of the day as Claire desperately tried to sort out the mixture of emotions swirling around inside of her.

…..

**A/N: Alice breaks into Claire's home, main suspect in her murder investigation: Claire has her gun but does _nothing_. Alice admits to eating a 'mousy brunette', Claire lowers her gun, does _nothing_. Alice tongues Claire against her bedroom wall: She throws gun to the side and does _nothing _(Well not nothing, she came fucking hard, but you catch my drift). Poor Rain Ocampo gets upset 'cause Claire interrupted her sexy times. _BANG_! Redfield out, Biatch! **

**Thanks for reading, sure there'll be a lot of feeling re: Alice x Rain**

**Tlc125: So the jealous ex was done and dusted in one chapter. I'm not one to drag a thing on too long. What do you think? Was it wrong for Alice to go that far with Rain? **

**Avienda: Lol who doesn't want an Alice of her own. I was actually considering not updating tomorrow. Since it's Friday and I plan on getting drunk… But now I'm gonna be forced to for your health… Who knows what Chapter 11 is gonna look like when I'm done.**

**StarrH: I just love reading and writing women who can make _anyone_ piss themselves in fear lol Alice's arrogance is one of my favourite qualities, 'cause she has reason to be and she can back it up. Nothing that's more of a turn off than people trying to fake their way through unmerited cockiness.**

**Jeyz107: I HAVE BEEN IMPREGNATED! I had never heard of that song btw, but downloaded and listened to the dirty martini remix. THANKS, I LOVED IT. I think that's the song that plays in Claire's mind every time she's staring at Alice hahaha V for Vagina!**

**Webminky: It's definitely animal magnetism, of the likes that you and I share ;-P Undoubtedly, had Claire not experienced the loss she has, she probably would've join Chris and the SWAT team to try and eradicate vampires from Raccoon City, 'cause that's what good girls do. Alice was attracted to the raw Claire, who was stripped naked to her very essence when she forced Slater to his knees and then revelled in him begging for his life. I'm gonna watch the Hunger when I get home later at like fucking 11pm. Can you believe it? Fucking work's sucking this week. May only mail you tomorrow. Sorry babe. Anyway, just 'cause Alice loves 80's doesn't make her ancient, I love 80's music and I'm turning 29 in 6 days. Send me them beads bitch!**

**Belette: So much of pressure on me. Thank you for the extremely encouraging review. Why don't you just open a profile? Then you'll get notified. And we both can relax ;-P Do you think Alice will lose control and drink Claire dry? Claire's taking her sweet time and even I'm tempted to just bite her into submission.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Chapter takes place a few days after it 'Rained' (Term courtesy of Avienda's 'hilarity') ;)**

**WARNING: Alice gets Biblical**

**Chapter 11**

**I gave you everything**

Jill sat on Claire's large king sized bed in the vampire's grandiose mansion, watching her best friend get dressed. It was only her second time there and she was surprised at how settled Claire seemed. The redhead would be receiving her Medal of Valour that evening and Jill had come to help her get ready. Not that Claire needed help of course, Jill just wanted to make sure Claire actually showed up to the ceremony, the detective hadn't been very enthusiastic about it.

She watched as Claire lifted the collar on her black uniform shirt and nimbly started doing her tie. A delicate knock on the door halted Claire's movements and just from the look on her face – nervous anticipation mixed with barely disguised excitement – Jill could gather just who was on the other side.

"Come in." Claire rasped toward the door, apparently having forgotten about the tie, as she just stood there waiting for the door to open.

Jill watched the lanky vampire's ever graceful ingress as she stared at Claire with her usual look of appreciation and adulation, whilst gliding regally toward the redhead. Alice halted in front of Claire and Jill rolled her eyes at how they always seemed to have to stand right up in each other's personal spaces. She doubted either of them remembered she was even in the room. Well she doubted Claire remembered, she was almost certain that Alice didn't care.

The vampire took hold of the finished knot of Claire's tie and gently moved it up toward her throat.

"They should give you a commendation for managing to look this sexy in a uniform." Alice purred flirtatiously and Jill had to swallow down the snort threatening to escape her at the lame line.

Claire however, flushed bright red while Alice fixed her collar and the detective just dreamily stared up into her face.

"My brother arranged an invitation for me…" Alice said quietly and Jill was surprised to note a hint of anxiety from the usually self-assured woman. "I would much like to see you be honoured tonight… but I will understand –

- _Yes_." Claire blurted even though she hadn't been asked the actual question yet.

The vampire's response was an instant and brilliant grin. She nodded happily and all but floated out the door again.

Jill just shook her head at the two of them. By months' end her best friend would most likely have given her 'everything' to a_ vampire_. And having gone through quite a few relationships with Claire, back in the day when Claire used to date anything in a skirt, she had to say she quite liked the vampire for her friend. Not only because of how obviously the brunette adored Claire, but ever since Alice showed up, Claire had very ironically become more human again. She smiled, she laughed, she blushed, she even _cried_. She had stopped drinking herself into unconsciousness for fuck's sake! Claire's eyes were sparkling again after years of being dull and glazed over.

No matter what Alice was and what she ate, she seemed to be good for Claire and Jill decided that that was all that mattered.

…

Mayor Warren, Chief Irons and the Captain all took turns quietly congratulating Claire and the other two cops that were being honoured that night. Claire was amused at how the same anxious respect they had for Alice was now being extended toward her as well. Before she'd been nothing but a bug on their shoes; a lawsuit waiting to happen; a pawn to help keep the number of closed cases up. Now each word they said to her was chosen very meticulously. Claire didn't care what they had to say before and she certainly didn't care now. But things had certainly become veryentertaining since the arrival of Alice Abernathy in her life.

The revered detective didn't see the point in the ceremony. She was a cop, she was supposed to be brave. She had signed up to catch bad guys, it was in her blood after all. She felt that giving out medals just gave others an excuse to slack off. It wasn't an extraordinary thing she had done. She just did her job. Besides, she thought to herself, it wasn't like she was the most _honourable_ of cops to begin with. She definitely didn't feel as though she deserved a medal. Not after all she'd done to avenge her family.

She craned her neck as she sat on the stage, waiting for the long, dreary speeches to end, anxiously searching the crowd for a certain lanky brunette.

Their _Twilight_ night had been surprisingly fun. Alice criticised everything about the movie and the books. When Edward carried Bella on his back seemingly gliding/levitating from tree to tree, Alice had jumped up with wide eyes pointing at the screen and shouted: 'What_ is he doing? _Flying_? You cannot even call that _gliding_. Sir Isaac Newton is surely turning in his grave'._

Claire had then asked how Alice managed to move as fast as she does and the vampire had asked her how a hummingbird could flap it's wings between twelve to eighty times per second. '_You aren't a hummingbird_.' Claire had challenged back. Alice had then launched into a lecture on the difference between a vampire's and a human's muscular and skeletal systems, and for good measure explained rapid cell regeneration, going as far as stabbing herself with a letter opener, and Claire wondered whether Alice still wrote actual letters. Like quill style letters. Like quill style _love_ letters. She had abruptly stopped the train of thought when she realised she really really wanted to be on the receiving end of one.

Claire had enjoyed every last second of their evening. And when she just allowed herself to relax and be honest, she found that she liked just talking with Alice. The woman was intelligent and charming, and she had a wealth of experiences that she gladly shared, answering Claire's questions patiently and with enthusiasm. Claire even found herself sharing things too. Given the amount of superficial research Alice had done on her, the vampire was filled with a lot of her own queries.

She scanned the crowd again for the woman that now consumed the majority of her thoughts, but there was no sign of Alice. Feeling a whole lot more let down than she thought she would, Claire begrudgingly got up when she was called to centre stage.

Moments before the Mayor had been confidently bullshitting his way through whatever his speech writer had put on his notes, now however, he had a growing sheen of sweat visible on his brow as he told her what a great asset she was to the city. Even going as far as calling her a hero. He was laying it on way too thick and his falseness was starting to grate on the detective's very last nerve. Finally he ended his nervous rambling and turned her to the crowd and there, standing among the tables, clad in a little _red_ dress, was Alice, grinning madly at her. Not seeming to care that her impressive canines were visible for the entire world to see.

It was just a change in dress colour, but it suited the vampire perfectly. She managed to look even more gorgeous than usual. Claire beamed back as Alice clapped enthusiastically. Not even the irritating flashes from all the cameras could wipe the proud grin off of Claire Redfield's face.

….

She sat down at her table with Jill, Carlos and Leon after they'd congratulated her and glanced over at Alice seated at the Mayor's table with Luther at her side. Claire appreciated the vampire's willing sacrifice to put up with the politicians she hated so much, just so she could be there for Claire that night.

"Luther is so hot." Jill murmured quietly in Claire's direction. "If you invite them out to the pub with us later, I'll be your best friend forever." She dramatically batted her eyelashes at Claire who just rolled her eyes at her friend.

Alice would stick out like a sore thumb at the pub in _that_ dress. But Alice stood out wherever she went regardless, Claire reasoned. She was almost certain the vampire would accept the invitation, yet she was still nervous to ask. But as Jill had predicted without a doubt in her mind, Alice agreed and that's how Claire found herself at the head of a U-Shaped booth next to Jill, Carlos at her other side next to Leon and opposite the two men sat Alice and Luther.

Claire could see that the vampire didn't agree with the seating arrangements as Carlos sat a lot closer to the redhead than was necessary. It wasn't an entirely inappropriate distance, and she wasn't uncomfortable at his proximity, but the look on Alice's face made Claire very uneasy.

Carlos's next line didn't help ease the brewing tension _at_ _all_.

"So you're a homosexual?" He directed at Alice, who didn't even flinch as Claire cringed at the candid question.

"Yes I am." She smiled. "So you are a catholic?" Alice inquisitively cocked her head and Claire took a big gulp of her Scotch as Jill sat up straighter, very interested in the impending altercation.

Carlos was a very proud catholic, and Alice, well Alice had a wicked twinkle in her eye that only spelled trouble.

"Yes I am." Carlos answered, puffing out his chest as though the crucifix he always wore around his neck would somehow be visible through his shirt and tie.

"Nachos!" Claire shouted as the waiter came around to the booth and placed the gigantic plate of Nachos on the table. "Luther, you need to have some of these." She insisted placing a heap of Nachos on her side plate and shoving the rest toward an amused Luther, in hopes of distracting Carlos and Alice from glaring at one another.

"I do love a woman with a good appetite." Carlos grinned at Claire, falling for the distraction and giving her an affectionate nudge.

"So do I Detective Olivera, so do I…" Alice sensually rasped, glancing purposely at Claire, who looked away to take another gulp of her Scotch, wishing she'd ordered a beer instead.

Getting drunk now was not the wisest of ideas. Next to her Jill looked like she was about to wet herself trying to hide her laughter at Claire's discomfort.

"I'd rather you don't force your deviant and sinful ways on us Miss Abernathy. _ Especially_ when we're trying to eat." He didn't even bother hiding his contempt. "You're making Claire uncomfortable."

Yes Claire was extremely uncomfortable, but not for the reasons Carlos thought. Both Luther and Jill burst out laughing at Carlos's misguided attempt to shelter his partner, and Claire was grateful for that, because it got the tensing vampire seeing the humour in the situation as well. Claire was probably the gayest homo in town.

"_Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination_." Carlos decided to continue on though.

He really didn't like the way Alice Abernathy looked at Claire. It just wasn't right. It was like she was undressing his partner with her lustful gaze. And why on earth were they friends all of a sudden? Claire seemed to hate the woman, going as far as to actually _arrest_ her only weeks ago. Had Alice used her influence to somehow force her way into Claire's life?

Claire groaned out loud and sunk back into her seat as she watched Alice flash Carlos her fake, yet still unbelievably charming smile, which she reserved for those she disliked but had to tolerate in her presence.

"I assure you Detective Olivera, I have no intention of laying with mankind as with womankind."

Carlos scowled as Leon snickered next to him.

"Do not mock the word of God." He warned. "Sodom and Gomorrah-

- The story of Sodom and Gomorrah condemns the lust of mortals after angels and the _rape_ of visitors to those cities. _Not_ that of consensual sex albeit of a homo or heterosexual nature." Jill casually intervened and Alice smiled at her in approval.

"Everyone was so scared of anal sex back in the day." Luther sighed dramatically, joining in the conversation. "I myself, who's still a proud butt-virgin by the way, would willingly give it up to the right woman."

"I don't know about you Luther, but I can just picture Doctor Valentine wielding a giant purple strap-on." Alice hummed thoughtfully, as she and Luther appreciatively raked their gazes over Jill who smugly soaked up the attention.

"What, like a Barney dick?" Jill scrunched her nose in distaste, seemingly at the colour and not the actual idea of fucking Luther with a strap-on.

Alice seemed to consider the question. "Would a pink phallus be more to your taste?" She inquisitively pondered.

"Yeah. _Much_ better." Jill grinned.

"Would you bend over for Dr Valentine?" Alice asked Luther, who was looking at Jill as though he'd do a lot more than just that. "With the right amount of lubrication it could be quite _magical_." Alice flashed them a devilish smirk and Jill and Luther matched it way too easily.

Claire was grateful that they were speaking amongst themselves, but Carlos had turned a dark red, well almost purple, as he glared venomously at them.

"You people make me _sick_." He hissed, actually looking nauseous.

Claire thought that they _were _going a bit far just to get a rise out of the man. Or maybe the conversation had nothing to do with Carlos at all?

"If you insist on reciting bible verses at me Detective Olivera, I will persist in taunting your ill-mannered and duplicitous discernments on what it means to be a Christian." Alice explained coolly.

"I won't let _you_ preach to me about how to be a Christian."

Alice put on an obviously fake pout, which Claire still fell for regardless. "I guess I should just listen while you preach to me instead? Because I cannot possibly know as much as you do about the Bible now can I?" She goaded. "Is it because I am a homosexual? Or is it because I am female? Does your bigotry extend all the way to sexism?" She wondered. "I doubt it though, you and Claire seem to have a good working relationship, ostensibly based on mutual respect. So I have to speculate that it's just the _gay _aspect which bothers you?" She seemed to seriously ask him and the rest of the table wanted to know too.

"Believe it or not Detective," She continued after Carlos remained silently fuming at her seemingly trying to stay calm, "there are quite a number of sins which the Christian Bible condemns _aside_ from homosexuality, apropos the condemnation of which is still up for debate by those of a more… _unprejudiced_ predisposition." Alice pressed on.

"I_ know_. Murder. Rape –

- _Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?_" Alice very melodramatically interrupted._ "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God_. 1 Corinthians 6 verse nine to ten." She sent him a sickly sweet smile. "I know for a fact that you are guilty of more on that particular list than I am Detective Olivera."

"Like what?" Leon asked intrigued and Carlos looked like he wanted to punch him. "_What?_ I'm a fornicator and a drunkard, I'm going to hell too." Leon shrugged, already having had way too much to drink.

Alice was staring at Carlos as though she knew his deepest and darkest secrets and Claire suddenly realised that since the vampire had been researching her, clearly she must've done her homework on Carlos too.

"It doesn't even mention homosexuality." A drunken Leon slurred and Claire was amazed that he was even paying attention to the conversation.

"Effeminate means homosexual." Carlos told him angrily.

"Not all gay men are _effeminate_ you caveman." Jill barked. "Let's not even start on what that implies about lesbians." She finished irritably.

"Can we just stop talking about this?" Claire sighed loudly.

"Yes can you please stop?" Carlos agreed, giving Claire a grateful smile, misinterpreting that she shared his views.

Claire frowned at him but Alice paid no mind to them.

"I was struck by an apparition two hundred and ninety eighty days ago." Alice lowered her gruff voice to that level that had Claire's toes curling just from hearing the intonation. "At first I thought I merely perceived an Archangel, indomitable and valiant. But then she revealed herself as Seraphim as well, _emitting such an intense fiery light not even the other divine beings could look upon her_. Afterward, I repeatedly went on my knees, trying futilely to worship a variety of deities which even in their physicality did nothing to compare to the sheer vision of her." Her eyes flickered roguishly to Claire, before settling back on Carlos, who was scowling at the seemingly absurd monologue. "So you see Detective, it was only recently that I _truly_ found my religion." Alice continued, and Jill was not so subtly snickering behind her hand, having caught on to the overtone. "I unequivocally believe in the existence of a heaven, and it's an extraordinary place. It's where I discovered my sanctuary, my salvation, my absolution…" She trailed off whimsically, her eyes briefly finding Claire again but returned to Carlos, who try as he might, couldn't help but be somewhat captivated by the vampire's seductive lilt. "I found _heaven, _Detective Olivera, the instant I pressed my face in between my Beloved's thighs." She smirked lazily and Leon let out a loud 'hell yeah' as Claire choked on her drink, surprised at just how blunt Alice had chosen to go with the analogy.

Carlos patted her on her back, rubbing it caringly as Jill flat out laughed at her.

"You're upsetting Claire." He glared at Alice. "Not everyone wants the likes of you shoved down their throat." He chastised, wiping the alcohol off of Claire's shirt and too late the redhead realised how possessively he was doing it, almost intimately. She knew it was a show for Alice, but she didn't much appreciate being used in their little argument.

_Way_ too late she noticed the vampire's dark glare following Carlos's hands over Claire's torso. Alice didn't even have to say anything; her entire demeanour was screaming '_she's mine'_ with righteous indignation.

In an instant Carlos was pulled from Claire by his tie, a fork stabbing into it a split second later, pinning the material to the table. Alice grabbed both of his hands and restrained them at either side of the tie showing her inhuman strength over the large man, as she menacingly glared down into his stunned face.

"I have met Christian men far more virtuous than _the likes of you,_ who did not possess the hypocrisy to dare judge others based on whom they love." She snarled lowly, but the booth could still hear her as everyone had gone quiet in the pub at the sudden commotion. "There are far greater _sins_ which garner your prayers and attention Detective Olivera. Most of them I have committed myself, so I find your tirade concerning my sexuality a flagrant mockery to your religion. It is a trifling matter to debate, _especially_ on this night that was supposed to be about honouring Detective Redfield's… _bravery._" She seethed and it sent an unpleasant chill down Claire's spine at the iciness Alice used to seemingly force out the word.

Luther had risen with Alice, stepping out of the booth to keep the patrons at bay, not that anyone quite knew what to do about the gorgeous woman standing nose to nose with a wide eyed Detective Olivera.

"Alice…" Claire tried to calm the situation, then shrunk away slightly as that murderous glare shifted to her and didn't soften.

"_Now_ you wish to speak?" The vampire heatedly growled at her, but turned back to Carlos.

"Who I am intimate with is not a matter of public discussion. Do not ask me what I am, only to try and crucify me for it when I answer you truthfully. I do not know you. Nor do I care to know you. And I promise that should you ever insult me again, I will rip your throat straight out of your neck so that I would not have to listen to your asinine commentary ever again." She glared at him for a while longer, there was something in her eyes… something clearly not human.

Maybe it was how eerily wide her pupils had dilated almost entirely drowning out that stunning green of her irises. Everyone around the table sensed it, it made them believe that the threat was real. Carlos seemed to see that too.

"_Demon_…" He whispered incredulously and a sadistic grin spread across Alice's beautiful face, purposely baring her lengthy fangs.

Claire could see Alice struggling to hold back and with great difficulty moved her body to block the vampire from her partner who was still trapped by his tie, so much in shock that he didn't even think to just loosen the item.

"Please." Claire pleaded with Alice who had straightened and moved a bit back when Claire went to shield her partner. "Don't do this."

Alice's glare filled with disdain directed at both detectives. She shakily drew in a deep calming breath, before she shifted out of the booth and gracefully walked through the wide eyed crowd and out the door. Luther following closely behind her.

Claire let out a sigh of relief but tensed again at Jill's reprimanding stare.

"What?" She asked Jill, who said nothing as she also left the booth and walked to the bar.

….

After loosening Carlos's tie to release him from the table, where he and Leon had been trying in vain to dislodge the fork like it was fucking Excalibur, she hurried after Jill who she was sure was now at the bar because she wanted to speak with Claire in private.

"What?" Claire asked again, wondering why her friend was mad at _her_.

"You didn't say anything." Jill accused vaguely.

"I tried to stop her…"

"Not to _her_, to _him_. He called her out on purpose to throw his bullshit in her face. He wasn't just insulting Alice. He was judging you too. In case you forgot Claire, you're really fucking gay. You have been ever since we were eight and you kissed me."

"You know I'm not ashamed of who I am." Claire stated defensively.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"What did you expect me to do Jill? Jump up on the table and start rapping _Same Love_?" Claire chuckled dryly.

Jill rolled her eyes.

"I forgot what a sarcastic bitch you can be." She was smiling affectionately at her friend though, and it took out any sting from the words. "Alice is a freaking _vampire _Claire, she thinks_ killing_ people is _art_. And then you make her sit through Carlos insulting her and touching you inappropriately. God I'm surprised she didn't massacre this whole fucking place."

Claire sighed. She probably could've handled it better. That Alice only punctured a tie and a table with a fork was as good an outcome as could be expected under the circumstances. The vampire, unlike Carlos, had made no secret of her feelings or her nature for that matter and she had been invited to go with them.

"I'm scared okay." Claire mumbled and Jill frowned at her.

"Of what?"

"I only have you and Carlos. I don't wanna lose him too."

Claire bit down on her jaw and took Jill's beer from her to take a big swig from it.

"What? Am I alone not good enough?" Jill smiled sadly before she wrapped Claire in a warm hug. "Plus you have Alice too." She teased after holding Claire for a while, understanding a lot better why her friend had chosen to hide who she was from Carlos.

Claire laughed pushing her away playfully.

"You're becoming yourself again. You'll make new friends; ones who you won't be afraid to be yourself around."

"Friends like me." A grinning Luther appeared at their side, pulling Claire into a comforting hug. Claire smiled at him. They _had_ sort of become friends.

"Where's Alice?" She asked nervously.

"She needed to cool off." Luther answered. "Your friend doesn't realise how close he came to being ripped to shreds. He's lucky Alice can't say no to you." He chuckled winking at her.

"Is she coming back?"

"Nah she's gone home. Said I should make sure you two got home safely too and that it would be better if you stayed at your place tonight." He told Claire uneasily. "She's just a little riled up still and disappointed that you didn't stand up for yourself."

"Did she say that?"

"No… But it was kinda obvious..." Luther trailed off and Jill nodded she got that impression too.

Claire didn't argue, 'cause she'd suspected as much and finished Jill's beer.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed her on the cheek and gave Luther a friendly punch on the arm. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She knowingly winked at the two of them who both just smirked back at her.

"I'm gay Carlos." She casually announced to the still dumbfounded man as she passed the booth again, and Leon Kennedy burst out laughing.

"I knew it!" The SVU detective shouted after her as Claire shot out of the pub and into the crisp cool evening air.

…..

Claire rushed into the Arklay Mansion where the entire abode seemed to be filled with… classical music? She hadn't expected _that_. She had mentally prepared herself to come back to broken furniture and a few redheaded bodies trailing the staircase up to Alice's room.

She was no connoisseur by far, but she at least knew she was listening to a very aggressive sounding cello concerto. Well the aggressive part made sense at least. She followed the sound to the music room, which Alice had shown her that first day, and found a barefooted vampire sat on a stool, her cello primed between her widely spread thighs, the neck of which rested on her shoulder. Alice's slender digits nimbly caressed the instrument's fingerboard, while her other hand furiously dragged the bow over the strings in the dimly lit room.

Cello playing as a stress reliever… it was so dorky, but Alice still managed to make it seem implausibly sexy. It just somehow suited the compelling woman.

Visibly inhaling when Claire entered, the aggressive tone gradually softened as Alice slowed down the pace, seemingly attempting to calm herself with the gesture.

As always, Claire could just stare at the milky skin peeking out from Alice's black silk, thigh high kimono as the brunette caringly stroked the strings with her bow, causing a low melancholic tone to spill out and reverberate seemingly directly into Claire's chest sending goose bumps up her arms and shivers down her spine.

Claire listened and she watched, as her body responded to the slow build in the composition, retreating subconsciously to lean back against the farthest wall, directly opposite the brunette. She's never had the slightest interest in classical music, and she has never had such a reaction to music before. It had her wondering whether Alice was just _that_ brilliant a cello player, or if she was feeling the stirring in her belly merely because it was _Alice_ who was playing. Claire decided that it was most likely a combination of both.

When the music came to an end, it caused a deathly silence in the mansion that had Claire's ears zinging as though she could hear the blood coursing through her veins.

"I told Carlos I'm gay." She whispered into the quiet for the sake of filling the thick air with something other than tension.

Alice looked up at her and nodded sombrely. "I apologise for my public possessiveness when you have not yet accepted my intentions toward you." She murmured back. "It was rather unbecoming."

Claire wasn't expecting an apology, but before she could think more about it, she got distracted as Alice rose from her seat and went to caringly place the cello on its stand.

Her eyes meticulously followed the vampire as she casually strolled toward the grand piano and leaned against it, her green eyes intently watching Claire.

"Tonight really is not the best night for you to be around me." Alice warned, as Claire's eyes shifted over how loosely the vampire's kimono was tied around her waist. She was absolutely positive that the vampire was completely naked underneath. "In spite of how it had ended, I spent the majority of the evening immensely proud that I belonged to you." Alice confessed and Claire's eyes shot up at this knew declaration. "I wanted everyone to know it, and toward the end, I really wanted Detective Olivera to know it." She admitted with a sheepish lopsided grin.

Claire wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what, because Alice had started slowly walking toward her as she spoke and the anticipation had her heart working overtime. _Had she just heard correctly?_

"Alice…" Was all she managed to helplessly whisper as her eyes kept on wandering over the vampire's body of their own volition.

Knowing already what Alice's beautiful naked body looked like only increased her desire to get rid of the hindering piece of silk seemingly provoking her with how it nonchalantly clung to strategic places on Alice's alluring physique.

"Do you have any idea what sweet torture it is to have you in this house with me?" Alice rasped, looking every bit as anguished as she sounded, stopping her approach only inches away from Claire. "Do you know how incessantly I crave you?" She queried, gently taking Claire's hand in her own.

"How desperately I need you to touch me?" The vampire whispered, tentatively placing Claire's hand on the inside of her thigh.

Claire didn't remove her hand even when Alice let go again, choosing to stare at it instead, where she could literally feel the heat emanating from within the apex of Alice's thighs.

"How exceptionally… _wet_ you make me?" Alice husked and Claire dizzily looked up at her. Blue eyes glazed over with uninhibited desire. "_Touch me Claire_." Alice breathed against her lips.

Claire could almost feel the exact moment her resolve seemed to snap, like the tiny thread that it was still frantically clinging onto finally broke. It happened right after her trembling fingers trailed up Alice's unbelievably smooth thigh and just before she finally slipped a finger through the vampire's warm, slickened folds.

She closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath at how wet Alice was, almost preening at the loud throaty moan her fingers elicited. She opened her eyes again to stare into Alice's dark gaze looking down at her with such want, it took Claire's breath away.

"I am yours." The vampire moaned, bucking into Claire's hand and instantly the redhead crashed their lips together, reversing their positions to press Alice up against the music room wall.

…..

**A/N: … Scratches at the back of my neck. Too Soon? I don't think Claire's ready for this.**

**Thanks for the R&R's!**

**Tlc125: '_Though I do so enjoy a good rant, I cannot help but feel personally responsible for your agitation. I've made you too use to a certain kind of love story with my other FF's._' Sighs and pulls you off your soapbox and in for a comforting hug as I gently press your cheek against my breasts and rests my chin on your head (I'm 99.9% certain that I'm taller than you). '_For Alice, sex and violence come as easily as breathing._' I explain while I soothingly stroke through your hair. '_She actually doesn't know how Claire feels, all she knows is that Claire – much like the rest of the human population – wants to make sweet, sweaty, sexy love to her all night long. Alice doesn't merely want to have sex with Claire. Instead she wants Claire to see her as she is, to _want_ her for all that she is. The fact that Claire is still managing to resist her, speaks volumes to Alice. She isn't just another girl blinded by Alice's hot-as-fuckness. She's Claire fucking Redfield. No matter how fucked up she might be at the moment. Alice is putting herself out there, knowingly risking rejection, because she believes she and Claire share something deeper than mere sexual attraction. She's never declared any commitment. She did so only in this chapter, so now the ball's in Claire's court…_' I finish dramatically and try to let go of you, but you just keep clinging on to me. I sigh again. '_Fine, we can hug it out some more._' ;-P**

**Gleek4ever21: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope Glee stops sucking soon. Really loved the episode where Rachel and Santana sang 'Brave'. Think it was one of the best of the season. To be honest, I've been skipping through the episodes so I don't even know what's really going on anymore. Used to ship Quinntana, but am finding myself very interested in Pezberry at the moment.**

**FollowThatConvoy: Decided that focusing too much attention on a movie night wasn't worth it. It was mainly just a ploy to get them talking and relaxing around one another more. Some relationship progression so Claire could get to know the vampire side of Alice. I have a very passionate love/hate relationship with Twilight, HATE Edward and Bella Ugh no disrespect to Stephanie Meyer intended lol**

**Avienda and angelsgir: I'm halfway drunk, sticking to Whiskey for now, but later Tequila is definitely on the table, and then maybe I'll get on a table too… maybe just to lay down for a little while hehehe it's finally Friday and that's worth celebrating!**

**StarrH: Woman please, I lived through the eighties too. While you were living the 'high' life, snarfing coke and partying it up, I was snorting an apple juicebox a day, sometimes even THREE, while I listened to my Dad play Elton John and Fleetwood Mac on repeat. Those were good times;) Thanks for the early Birthday Wish! Mwah**

**Webminky: Yeah Alice doesn't want Claire for just sex, she wants _Claire_ PERIOD. Sex is sex. No big deal for Alice. I did let my voyeuristic side show through a little bit with Chapter 10 didn't I? Ssssh don't tell anyone 'bout me... Imagine feeling both aroused and nauseated at the same time. Poor Claire. I really need to write her less tragic. But her confusion and blossoming feelings is what keeps this story going, so yah. SOON.**

**Thanks for the 'half nekkid horse riding' pic! Was the best prezzie you could've given me XD FUCKING CUTENESS I feel like pinching your cheeks LOL**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**It loves as much as you allow**

Claire woke the next morning with Alice's warm nudity pressed snuggly into her side. Her arm was wrapped securely around the vampire, whose soft purring seemed to not have ceased since it had lulled Claire into a peaceful slumber the night before.

Alice's long leg was callously strewn over Claire's hips and the brunette's slender hand was loosely covering her breast. Claire's nipple hardened at the realization and she was instantly flooded with memories of her night with Alice.

The vampire had given her complete control, allowing Claire to lead them into her own bedroom instead of Alice's. It was absolutely absurd and yet still so empowering the way Alice had permitted Claire to pin her to the wall of the music room and then the plush carpet and eventually the large, comfortable bed. Claire was driven by an almost animalistic need to possess Alice the way the vampire had seemingly invaded every aspect of her being, fervently crying out her own satisfaction as she repeatedly entered Alice throughout the course of their passionate consummation.

She'd never wanted anyone or anything as much as she did the gorgeous vampire, and the thought made her stomach drop painfully into her lower belly. She clenched her jaw as a sudden and overwhelming rush of panic started to set in.

_What had she done? Had she really given herself to a vampire? _No, Alice had given herself to Claire, she tried to reason. That alternative was only slightly less disconcerting.

Her heart hammered frantically against her chest and she wasn't surprised when the purring at her side suddenly ended. Alice didn't move for a while though and it did nothing to ease Claire's rapidly increasing anxiety. She wished that the vampire would bolt out of her room again, like Alice had done that night she had held her…

_Oh dear god…_

Claire cringed as another realization caused her chest to start heaving as she struggled to fill her lungs with enough oxygen. She _liked_ Alice. She liked a_ vampire_. She liked a _killer_. She had convinced herself that it was just a physical attraction. The same spell most of the population was under when it came to the lanky brunette.

_When had that changed into something more?_

She needed to get out of that bed, out from under the vampire who was hardly keeping her there. And yet that smooth thigh innocently pinning Claire, felt heavier than a ton of bricks. She felt Alice's bizarrely silky hair shift across her chin and soon bright green eyes were despondently gazing at her from beneath a pair of dark knitted brows.

"Good morning…" Alice murmured in an even gruffer and sexier voice than usual. "Do you need me to leave?" She asked tentatively, averting her gaze from Claire's panicked eyes to stare at the space between the redhead's collarbones.

Claire instantly felt like an asshole. And then she got angry, because Alice could clearly see that she was freaking out, yet she was forcing Claire to say it, instead of just _leaving_. Claire shifted her body uncomfortably, causing one of her breasts to slide perfectly in between Alice's, reminding her of how very naked both of them still were.

It felt so good… She could feel Alice's rapidly racing heart beat straight in to her own chest.

"I need to go to work." Claire whispered, hoping it would have the same effect as 'Yes I need you to leave.'

Alice's face broke into a lopsided grin and combined with the sparkling green eyes and the messy sex hair, it sent Claire's heart stuttering in response. _God she was gorgeous_. She wasn't sure why it still came as a surprise. She remembered having such moments of shock and awe throughout the previous night as she discovered every inch of Alice's faultless body; what the brunette felt and _tasted_ like underneath the greedy attentions of Claire's fingers and tongue.

She couldn't suppress the whimper that escaped her at the overwhelming onslaught of memories and Alice responded with a low growl which reverberated between their bodies which had Claire gasping and impulsively wrapping her arms around the brunette's slender toned back. Alice crashed their lips together and slipped her thigh in between Claire's legs, growling again into the redhead's mouth, when she felt just how wet Claire already was.

Still Alice broke the kiss moments later, lifting up onto her arms, her body just barely touching Claire's. The redhead groaned her disappointment and glared up into Alice's smirking face.

"You are going to be late for work." Alice reminded her, tilting her head toward the alarm clock that hadn't been set, without taking her eyes off of Claire, who reluctantly broke their staring contest and then started swearing under her breath when she realized that the vampire was right.

So what if she got a medal just the night before. They still had three open investigations going on, and just 'cause she got laid, didn't mean that the world had to wait for her. Alice grinned and gave her a chaste peck on the cheek, before lithely jumping off of Claire and was wrapped in her kimono moments after her feet touched the carpet.

Claire was not pleased by this. She had really been looking forward to appreciating Alice's body in the clear light of day.

"You get ready, I will prepare breakfast." Alice announced and glided out the door.

…..

Claire sat opposite Alice watching the vampire absently sipping on a cup of coffee as the brunette, in turn, watched Claire eat. She didn't think Alice could even make food.

"Can you eat?" She asked curiously. "'Cause you drink coffee and Scotch and my bacon and eggs are perfect." She amended.

Her breakfast really was perfect. Her eggs were prepared exactly the way she liked them, her toast was made with brown instead of white. Even the portion of fried mushrooms on the side contained hints of garlic, thyme and parsley. The vampire had clearly noticed Claire preparing her meal the few times the detective had bothered with a hot breakfast. The consideration was both creepy and endearing, much like most of Alice's actions.

"I mean, I was just wondering how it would taste to you…"

Alice had expressed her disgust at the Cullen's drinking from 'poor defenceless animals' but had seemed unwilling to speak about the topic and Claire didn't want to press the matter of the vampire's diet any further as she had been enjoying herself too much that night.

Alice's shoulders seemed to relax and she smiled.

"Have you finished eating?" She asked Claire who nodded and took her plate to the sink, rinsed it and placed in the dishwasher. She was already late, what difference would a few more minutes make? Not like the Captain's reprimand would be any different.

"Thanks." She told Alice, standing awkwardly, adjusting her sidearm and badge, wondering how to get out of the house without giving the vampire the wrong idea about them.

"You are very welcome." Alice smiled. "And yes I can force food down, but it is rather revolting and makes me physically sick." She answered and Claire's brows rose to attention.

"Revolting?" She asked for clarification.

Because there were varying degrees of revolting. She personally found mayonnaise revolting, though other people loved it.

"You like bacon." It was a statement. "Bacon comes from pigs." Alice continued. "Now imagine what that pig would taste like if it was alive and you were eating straight from its' bleeding body…"

Claire's response was to instantly pull her face in disgust. "_Gross_. Alice." She just ate and that was hardly a pretty picture to paint.

"Well that is how food makes me feel." She grinned and Claire couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Okay I get it." She smiled. "I've really gotta go now. Thanks again for breakfast." She said, yet seemed unable to move as Alice continued to stand at the other end of the breakfast island, watching her expectantly. Claire had to walk passed her to get out of the house and for some reason she was scared to get closer to the brunette.

After a very long moment of awkward silence, Alice cleared her throat to get Claire's nervously wandering attention.

"Would you care to join me for supper tonight?" Alice asked confidently and Claire felt the panic from earlier that morning spreading through her body again.

"Uh… I'm not sure when I'll be home. We could be called out… And I need to go testify in court today. Not sure how long that'll take. Ada Wong's case…" She trailed off as Alice's initial sadness at the perceived rejection shifted to understanding and she was smiling beautifully again, which had Claire forgetting what she was going to say.

"I will prepare something. I do not have plans. You may join me when you are able. It's not as though I will starve waiting for you." Alice chuckled awkwardly and Claire joined her with as much discomfort.

The detective gave a firm nod of acceptance and moved determinedly toward the door but seemed to slow considerably as she was about to pass Alice. In fact, she came to a complete stop and stood just next to the brunette. With great difficulty she lifted her gaze and instantly found herself wrapped up in Alice's arms, the vampire's lips pressing hard against her own. Claire moaned as she melted into the kiss, feeling all the tension and awkwardness leave her body. It was insane how at ease she felt when she was intimate with Alice, and how that intimacy resulted in the exact opposite effect when her mind switched back on.

When Alice let go of her again, they were both grinning stupidly at one another other.

"I'll see you tonight." Claire blushed then walked to the door with great concentration, willing her legs to become solid again.

….

She spoke with Jill on the phone, who couldn't seem to stop talking about Luther. Claire didn't say anything about her and Alice, opting to only reassure her friend that Alice wasn't upset anymore. It's been all about her for the last three years. She was happy that she could be a proper friend to Jill again. Carlos was at the courthouse already and she was due to appear that afternoon, so she finished up some paperwork and went to interview a witness on one of their open cases. Afterward she went to the Courthouse and sat outside, waiting to be called.

It was nothing new. Not even the defendant was new. Claire was familiar with every aspect of Ada's life, she didn't even need to be prepped. She had been through this exact same process numerous times before. But now for the first time, thanks to Alice, Ada wasn't going to get away, she hadn't even been granted bail for the duration of the trial. There was no tension, Claire sat back and courteously answered the questions without a care in the world. Her demeanour seemingly aggravating the usually stoic defendant more and more.

When she was excused, Claire sent Ada a big smug grin and walked out the courthouse straight into a perturbed looking Carlos at the top of the steps.

Her mood sank instantly. How could she have forgotten that she had outed herself to him?

"Hi…" She greeted nervously.

He responded with a pained grimace and a grunt.

"How long have you been gay?" He asked her distrustfully, and Claire knew he was going to try and blame someone else for her homosexuality.

She wanted to laugh at him, but she'd known him long enough to understand how upsetting it all was. He was in love with her. She hadn't led him on, but she didn't rebuke him either. Then again, Carlos had never come up to her and told her about his feelings, she doubted that he knew even now that she was aware of how he felt.

"I've been attracted to women for as long as I can remember." She answered trying to keep her replies centred on herself as to not get stuck in a debate on homosexuality in general. Given what had happened at the pub, things could get out of hand very fast.

"All these years?" He asked incredulously.

Claire only nodded this time, keeping eye contact, hoping to convey to him that it wasn't something she was ashamed of.

"Did your family know?" The way he had stated it was almost like he felt they would've disapproved.

Claire smiled. "Yes. They supported me. Mom, Dad, Chris and K. They even met a few of my girlfriends." She felt she had to defend the support of her family since they were no longer there to show it themselves.

"A few?" Carlos breathed, starting to look a little nauseous.

"Yes." Claire stated simply.

"Have you ever been with a man?" he asked.

"No."

"Then how can you possibly –

- have _you_ been with a man?! How do you know?" Claire shouted back at him, the fact that she had anticipated his response only riled her up further. It wasn't the first time she'd been caught in almost the exact same dialogue, men and women alike and even other gay people loved asking her that.

Carlos managed to look as though she had offended him in the worst manner.

"That's different. Being gay is _wrong_." He scolded her like she was a child.

Claire laughed bitterly. "Of course it is." She said as she made her way down the courthouse steps.

"Where are you going?" Carlos shouted after her, they still had work to do.

"I need a fucking walk!" Claire shouted back without looking at him and disappeared down the street.

…

It was almost nine pm, and Alice paced the length of her living room, wearing a new LBD that she'd bought especially for Claire's viewing pleasure. She replayed the morning's events over and over in her mind. She'd seen Claire panic at various instances, but the way they had kissed each other goodbye… Alice was positive that Claire wouldn't stand her up on purpose. Yes the redhead may have freaked out during the course of the day, but from what she'd gathered, she was sure the detective would've told her that she was working or couldn't make it for whatever reason. Still she had an unsettling feeling scratching at the back of her skull.

She poured a drink and elegantly folded herself into a loveseat. The way Claire had taken her the night before caused a delicious shudder to run through the vampire at the recollection. She hadn't had any preconceived notions regarding the detective's sexual prowess, as all her sources indicated the woman had been celibate for years, but Alice was more than pleasantly surprised by Claire's skill and stamina. It seemed as though the redhead wanted to claim her. Claire had attempted to mark various parts of Alice's body, only to later discover with an adorable scowl and a slight pout, that they had healed completely only moments later.

Had the vampire known the affect it would have on Claire when she announced she was hers, she would've professed it a long time ago. It was such an obvious conclusion to Alice, she hadn't even considered that it may not have been as clear to the detective. Of course she was Claire's, she believed it with as much vigour as she believed that Claire was hers. It went hand in hand.

She should probably thank Detective Olivera for his hand in facilitating their union. Alice wasn't sure if her possessiveness was from simple jealousy or her distrust of the man. She doubted she was truly jealous, she sensed no interested from Claire's side. She postulated that her reaction was just envy toward Carlos who was allowed to be so close to the redhead when Alice had to sit back and just watch. The previous night at the pub had evoked a combination of feelings, all of which pushed her toward wanting to strangle the man. Was it not for Claire's affection for her partner, she would've snapped his neck the instant his condescending glare had rested on her.

It was 21:24 when her phone finally rang at her side. She picked it up and almost crushed it against her head in her eagerness.

"Hello." She answered coolly.

"Alice. Uh… Miss Abernathy." Jill corrected shakily. "This is Jill…"

Alice clenched her jaw and stopped the growl threatening to blow from her chest.

"I have caller ID Dr Valentine." She responded dryly, even though she'd not bothered to even check it and Jill could've easily been calling from anywhere. Alice was disappointed that it wasn't Claire. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" She sarcastically enquired.

"D-do you think you could come down to the station as soon as possible please?" Jill's shaky tone finally alerted Alice's intuition and she shot up from the chair.

"Is it Claire?" Alice asked, surprising herself at how she managed to maintain her composure in spite of the storm brewing inside of her.

"Yes." Jill choked out with a loud sniff and Alice sped out the door the instant the line went dead.

…

When she got outside she frowned and wanted to kick herself for not asking for more details. She contemplated whether to run or take a car. Not wanting to waste any more time calling Jill back, she opted for a car just for the sake of moving. Jill had told her to go to the station,_ not_ the hospital which meant she wanted to tell Alice something. Claire may be fine. Though Jill worked with dead bodies at the station...

The doctor had sounded like she was fighting to stay in control of her emotions. And having gotten to know Jill Valentine somewhat, it made Alice stress even more. Mostly she took the car because running left her a dirty mess, and she still belonged to Claire and showing up at her place of work in a state of dishevelment, would reflect badly on her beloved. So instead she sped through traffic, which had thankfully calmed given the time of night, and made it to the station in record time.

She stalked passed a few awed faces not acknowledging their existence, not that she ever did, straight to the lift and summoned it for the basement floor.

"Alice!" Jill called to her as she waited for the elevator. "Thank god you're here, they don't want to tell me anything!" Jill shouted and guided the anxious vampire toward the Captain's office where Jill burst through the door, almost knocking it off its hinges, causing the Captain to visibly blanch as Carlos turned an angry shade of red.

"M-miss Abernathy, I was just about to call you!" The Captain exclaimed and then glared at Jill who didn't seem fazed. In fact the doctor looked very pleased as she defiantly crossed her arms over her chest and glared right back at him.

"Show her the video!" Jill demanded and the Captain looked like he would've shot her was he not so distracted by Alice's presence.

Alice wasn't sure what to make of it all, she just wanted to know if Claire was all right, but for some reason she was terrified to just ask them.

"We were hoping to have more answers, before we contacted you." The Captain fiddled with his laptop, intent on not making eye contact with the vampire, but feeling the need to explain.

Just as Alice was about to leap at him and shake him until he just spilled everything, the door opened again and her brother walked in. She allowed him to see her surprise, but maintained her poise in front of the rest of the room. Albert Wesker nodded to her and shifted his attention to Jill.

"Thank you for calling me Dr Valentine." He told Jill and Alice's patience reached its limit.

Sensing the brewing threat, Wesker swiftly moved to her side and gently grasped her elbow.

"Stay calm Sister, all will be well." He softly reassured. "The floor is yours Captain Douglas." He said a bit louder and Douglas nodded eagerly and pressed play turning the screen toward the vampires.

A loud growl escaped Alice as she saw Claire tied to a chair, blindfolded and seemingly unconscious. She was glad to note the subtle rise and fall of her beloved's chest.

"When did you get this?" She asked icily.

"Just over an hour ago." He shakily answered.

Another loud, vicious growl and Alice was only mildly satisfied when she could hear the subtle clattering of the Captain's teeth. She watched as that day's newspaper was placed into the frame, when it disappeared, her eyes quickly scanned the shot for any signs of where Claire could be.

"No sound?" Albert asked as if reading Alice's mind.

If they could hear any background noises it would've helped a whole lot more than the minimal visuals the small frame provided. The Captain shook his head as though he somehow felt responsible for the lack of sound.

A white piece of cardboard appeared in the shot next containing the words: _Free Ada Wong or she dies._

Most of the room expected Alice's outburst, the only one who didn't was the victim thereof as Carlos found himself pinned to a wall, a few feet in the air, Alice's hand wrapped tightly around his throat. The vampire hissing dangerously at him as she bared her sharp fangs.

"Where were_ you_!?" She snarled. "You are supposed to be her partner! Where were _you_ when she was taken!?"

Nobody tried to stop her. The only other person who could, didn't approach knowing how close his sister was to snapping the detective's neck.

"I am sure that if Detective Olivera knew anything he would have told us Sister." Wesker seemed the only one not freaking out at Alice's show of aggression. "Perhaps your energy would be better spent on finding your Beloved?" He suggested, trying to get Alice back on track.

Alice let out another loud growl as she threw Carlos to the side like a ragdoll, picked up a nearby chair and shattered it against the wall on the far side of the small office causing the humans to duck their heads and cower from the rain of ricocheting debris showering them.

Albert took hold of Alice's arms and turned her to face him.

"You need to stay composed so you may find Claire." He urged again and Alice nodded, knowing this to be true. "Take a deep breath and tell me what you need." He spoke calmly and it effectively served to rein Alice in.

Jill and the Captain watched in wonderment as the vampire straightened her back and calmed her features much like a switch had been turned on.

"Someone to trace the video's origins." She started.

"I will get the best technicians on it." He promised.

"Luther."

"I'll call him." Jill announced, flicking out her phone.

Alice's eyes hardened significantly.

"Unrestricted access to Ada Wong."

….

**A/N: Thank you for the R&R's!**

**Guest: When I get a positive Guest-with-No-Name review, I always just choose to think of it as having a secret admirer ;) Thank you for taking the time to let me know that you like this story. I appreciate it very much. You do however sound very similar to another of my reviewers… Alias starts with an A and ends with a da? Perhaps too drunk to log in at the time of the review? If I'm mistaken I do apologise. No offense intended.**

**Angelsgir: Congrats on your new profile lol Mas tequila es lo que yo quero!**

**Tlc125: hugs you again just for the fuck of it. How's the hangover? They say the best way to get over one is to continue drinking. By 'they' I mean 'I' as in 'me' as in that's what I'm currently doing lol**

**StarrH: I don't need much from reviews, just tell me you liked it or it royally sucked and I'm happy. What I'm actually very disappointed about is how you don't want to ask me to 'go steady' because of my age. Not cool. I assure you that I have a wealth of experience and that my closest friends often refer to me as having an 'old soul'. I got SKILLS woman! Shame on you Star! I wish I could continue to pretend to be mad, but as soon as I typed your alias, Vincent by Don Mclean started playing in my mind: '_Starry , starry night… paint your palette blue and grey. Look out on a summer's day, with eyes that know the darkness in my soul…_' That song gets me all kinds of mellow and emotional. We wouldn't have worked out anyway, as you – much like 'My Bonnie' – lies over the ocean, and long distance is just a recipe for disaster.**

**Clairice: Lol yes it did feel like Claire's coming out story, even though it was just to Carlos and Leon. I guess she didn't just come out as gay, but also as someone with a very keen interest in a gorgeous vampire.**

**Webminky: Hmmm Monkey, you're all kinds of hot when you're mad. Well first of all, I love how you understand these characters, sometimes I'm concerned on whether I'm efficiently portraying their emotions. I tend to write characters and a less important plot to facilitate desired reactions, as opposed to a main plot and the subsequent reactions of my characters thereto… If that makes sense at all? I'm drunk again, pardon me if that sounded like a riddle, the statement got even me confused for a while. Actually I'm still a bit confused, so just say yes you understand. Secondly, I could've easily moderated Chaz's review, but found it way too amusing not to share LOL Ignore her/him. Coincidentally, I've met three homosexuals who feel exactly the same way. That homosexuality and Christianity just don't mix. All three admitted Christians, all three indulging in same sex sex, but determined to one day find someone of the opposite sex 'as god intended'. Such is the _modern_ world we live in. My intent with Alice's outburst hadn't been to illicit some big religion vs gayness debate. Though I do believe that you can be a gay Christian. Was just trying to get everyone to understand why Claire 'Braveheart' Redfield hadn't come out to him yet. Highlight her fear of losing more loved ones. Also, I do believe everything Alice said to be truth. It's all in the interpretation. Chaz and his/her opinions do not faze me, I'm actually way more interested in your apparent butt cheek fetish ;-) will mail more in detail regarding _that_ juicy titbit. Fuck, I love the word TITBIT. hehehe**

**Chaz: I am indeed a proud Goldstar (cue the trumpets) lesbian, what I'm not, however, is religious. I thankfully do not burst into flames on the rare occasion I enter a church during a wedding or a funeral. And do possess the ability to read and form an opinion based on said readings. I thank you for your review and would like to share with you the following from Ruth 1:16-17. It is the vow Ruth (female) makes to Naomi (female) – no blood relation: '_Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die – there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!_' That's probably one of the most passionately beautiful and GAYEST declarations I've read in my entire life. But it's all about interpretation isn't it?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**It's only love that makes me feel like getting so completely…**

Jill finally managed to relax enough to breathe without having to remind herself to do so when she saw Alice regain her composure and give her instructions. She'd offered to call Luther because he'd been the third person she'd called the second after she'd been made aware of the kidnapping. Alice having been the first. It was because of this that Luther was already waiting outside the police station when Wesker finished making his calls and gave Alice the go ahead to meet with Ada.

"Luther's waiting downstairs." She nervously told the vampire who displayed none of the rage she had only moments before.

As she fixedly strode passed the doctor, Alice didn't say thank you or acknowledge her, but stopped a few feet away as though she had remembered something.

"Are you coming Dr Valentine?" She asked turning to a surprised Jill.

Not that the ME didn't want to go; she just hadn't expected to be invited along.

"You are Claire's family." Alice clarified. "You have a right to be part of our reprisal." She stated coolly, before turning back around and walking toward the exit doors, Jill half running to keep up with her long purposeful strides.

….

At the prison, Jill watched in amazement as they were personally met by the warden and guided in without being searched or questioned, straight into an interrogation room of sorts. All it had was a single barred up window, too high to look out from and one door. The walls were white and bare, and a table had been placed in the centre of the small space with two chairs on opposite sides, one of which was already occupied by a smirking Ada Wong.

The air had grown heavy the instant the lanky vampire's stilettos had clicked onto the linoleum and continued their staccato into the tiny room. And anticipating yet another violent outburst from Alice, Jill almost jumped out of her skin when Luther shut the door behind her, having been instructed to stand guard outside. Not as though anyone would come… Jill knew that. It didn't matter what happened in that room that day.

Alice sauntered up to the empty chair and ever gracefully lowered onto the seat, seemingly having forgotten about Jill's existence. The vampire stared expressionlessly at the smaller on the other side of the table, who returned the gaze with a self-satisfied sneer.

The corners of Alice's mouth twitch slightly as though she was fighting a smile of her own from spreading.

"It had been a commendable strategy, Miss Wong." She casually complimented Ada in her low gravelly voice. "But you made one crucial error."

Ada remained silent, if she said nothing she couldn't be held accountable for anything her men chose to do outside the prison walls.

Alice chuckled dryly at the silence which greeted her seemingly not affected by the prisoner's cocky demeanour.

"You were dead the second you took her from me." Alice casually forewarned, even as her eyes darkened and her own malicious sneer spread across her face, revealing sharp lengthy fangs.

Ada's expression remained indifferent, yet her right brow lifted almost imperceptibly. Yet she was unaware that the vampire could hear her frantically racing heart as her flight or fight instinct kicked in. Too fast, Alice reached over the table, effortlessly secured the woman's wrists, and pulled them closer to her side of the table, causing Ada to lean forward and slightly lift from her chair. Though Alice's featured remained calm, Ada's had turned to wide-eyed shock at the physically awkward position she suddenly found herself in.

"I am going to give you a choice as to how you die Miss Wong." Alice continued in a steady, impassive voice while she easily pried open the fingers of Ada's right hand, in spite of the woman trying with all her might to instinctively form them back into a fist.

Ada let out a piercing scream when Alice snapped and all but crushed her pinky finger.

"Do not fight me." Alice's command came out as a friendly suggestion, though her eyes still held that same unnerving darkness.

Ada obediently relaxed her hand but every muscle in the rest of her body remained tensed in anticipation and she clenched her jaws shut tightly, determinedly trying, and failing, to not show the weakness she was feeling. It wasn't an emotion Ada Wong was very familiar with. But she'd caught on that the creature in front of her was not human and the terror of that knowledge was difficult to hide or even comprehend in that moment.

The speed, the strength, that predatory gaze, had her frozen in fear and uncharacteristically compliant.

"You may choose between two alternatives Miss Wong and believe me, this will be the only time that you will be afforded the opportunity to decide your own fate." Alice calmly warned, while she gently traced a finger over Ada's open palm as though she was a fortune teller.

And perhaps, Jill thought, in that particular moment, the vampire was just that, as she had clearly already decided that Ada Wong would die.

"_One_, you tell me where to find Claire and your death will be swift and painless. Or _two_ –

- Aaaaaah!" A few spine-chilling cries escaped Ada as Alice - deliberately slow in her torment - snapped first Ada's middle and then index finger, breaking the bones in between the knuckles and then crushed them effortlessly all while she blankly stared at the screaming woman hunched over in front of her.

Jill leaned back against the wall, having heard the unsettling sounds of the bones cracking in the quiet of the small room. Somewhere in the background she could hear a few prisoners shouting their interest at what was happening. Alice sat poised in her seat, unaffected by all of it, then started chuckling darkly as Ada's eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped forward and fainted onto the table.

The vampire carelessly lifted the unconscious woman's wrist and sharply bit into it and a few seconds later Ada's eyes flew open again and she gasped desperately as though she had been drowning and was fighting for air.

"My venom acts as an adrenaline boost and it may also serve as an aphrodisiac under appropriate circumstances and in lesser quantities, in case you were wondering Dr Valentine." Alice nonchalantly informed as her eyes never left Ada Wong.

Jill didn't answer, she_ had_ been wondering but was too afraid to ask. It explained why Alice's victims had been able to push their bodies to the point of fatality without their instincts of self-preservation kicking in to stop them from doing so. What she really wanted to know though was why Alice's venom hadn't shown in the extensive blood work she had conducted on the redheaded victims, but the vampire was focused on her task again and Jill didn't dare interrupt.

"Do you remember your first choice?" Alice asked her softly, almost kindly, and Ada nodded instantly, wresting her weight on her elbows on the table trying in vain to stop her body from shaking.

She was no fool. She had no idea who this woman, _thing_, in front of her was and in spite of her supernatural abilities, she clearly had the power to bend the rules of the penitentiary to her will as well. There should've been guards there to stop her torture. There were _always_ guards everywhere.

"Now your second option is to _not_ tell me, in which case…" Alice trailed off taking hold of Ada's 'good hand' watching with a sadistic satisfaction as the woman began to whimper her protest, whining that she'd do whatever the vampire wanted. Alice only chuckled maliciously in return and completely ignored her cries of promised cooperation. "…In which case I will use the extensive resources at my disposal to find her, kill all of your men, and then come back here and –

- Aaaaaaaaah!" Ada let out another chillingly shrill scream, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Alice easily snapped and crushed her wrist and finally let go of her.

Ada sunk back into her chair and defensively brought her limp, broken and trembling appendages to her chest. The shattered bones had pierced through the skin of her forearm and were grotesquely sticking out like bloodied spikes. Whenever she moved them in the slightest it felt like sharp, electrified stabs of pure agony shot through her body. The pain was blinding and for some reason, it was most prominent in her hazily throbbing head.

Ada was flushed and her face was covered in beads of sweat and tears. She inhaled sharply with hitched gasps as she tried to stop the sobs wracking her body to avoid disturbing the hypersensitive limbs. She felt as though she would throw up at any second. Was it not for Alice's venom coursing through her veins, she would've lost consciousness again. She longed to lose consciousness again.

"- and break every single bone in your body… _over_ and_ over_ again…" Alice continued unperturbed by the broken mess she had create and smiled sweetly at the prisoner even though it didn't come anywhere close to reaching her eyes. "I have ways to keep you awake throughout, as you can obviously gather. I also have people who will make sure to keep you alive until _I _chose to kill you. It could take weeks, or months, should I wish it, I could torment you for _years_…" Alice halted her threat for an intense moment, watching the shorter brunette desperately battle to focus her clouding vision on the vampire instead of the excruciating throbbing in her body.

"Now I am going to ask you this only once Miss Wong, and I advise that you answer me instantly and truthfully."

Alice slowly rose from her seat and placed her palms down on the surface of the table. She leaned down so her face was only inches away from trembling and sobbing woman in front of her. Ada watched with increasing terror as the cool façade seemed to finally slip off the vampire's face and her expression considerably hardened to match her unnaturally dark eyes.

"_Where. Is. My. Claire_?" Alice savagely growled out each word and menacingly bared her fangs, sending cold shivers up both Ada and Jill's spines.

…

There were moments where Jill felt sorry for Ada, she couldn't possibly imagine the agony Alice had put her through. The sounds of the fractures combined with Ada's terrifying screams had been horrendous and nauseating. But when a wrecked Ada had hoarsely cried out Claire's location, Jill remembered why exactly they were there in the first place and all sense of remorse vanished.

Had the police gone, Ada would've dominated the interrogation like she usually did her others. She was grateful for Alice's connections that allowed them the privacy to 'talk' to Ada Wong undisturbed and unrestricted by legalities. As far as the law went, there would've been little they could do to her. Jill bet that Ada hadn't counted on Alice showing up to question her.

She also wondered why Alice hadn't listened to Ada the first time she'd screamed she would cooperate. She doubted that the vampire would waste any time getting to Claire. Jill could only surmise that Alice had chosen to complete her threat in its entirety in order to ensure Ada would tell the truth. The Triad boss was notorious for her fraudulence and they really couldn't afford to be sent on a wild goose chase around town.

The ME sat now in the front passenger seat of the Maserati as Luther sped to the address Alice had given him. The vampire had not said a word after that, stoically staring out the car window from her habitual position in the backseat. Since Luther wasn't saying anything either, Jill chose to remain quiet for the rest of the trip too.

He pulled up a few blocks from the warehouse location and Alice was out the door in a blink of an eye, leaving behind her very expensive heels. Jill looked around trying to spot the vampire but could see nothing, so she turned a questioning gaze to Luther.

"When she runs that fast, her shoes become a hindrance. Once a pair actually caught fire." Luther answered the least important question on Jill's mind. She just stared at him dumbfounded. "There's a medical kit in the trunk. Alice will be back with Claire soon." He stated confidently giving her arm an affectionate squeeze, before exiting the car to retrieve the kit.

…

Claire had been awake for over an hour already. The last thing she remembered was walking down the street fuming at Carlos and then a sharp pain shooting through her head. She was currently blindfolded and that made it easier for her to pretend that she was still unconscious. She listened carefully, but could hear no traffic or any other discernable noises to indicate where she was, so she assumed that she wasn't anywhere close to the city centre. For all Claire knew, she might not even be in Raccoon City any longer.

Thus far, she'd made out five different voices in the room with her. They seemed to be playing poker and drinking. Claire could smell the strong alcohol and knew they weren't too far from her position. She'd woken to the rowdy game and wished she was more surprised when the drunken men started discussing how they'd much rather play with her than the cards.

They argued that Ada had told them to not kill the detective until she was released, but had said nothing about the state she should be in when she died. Claire almost lost it when she heard who was behind her abduction and why. But she managed to keep her composure, that was until she felt the sudden pressure of hands on her thighs, and the nauseating smell of cheap liquor mixed with bad breath on her face, as one of her kidnappers eventually decided to get to know her a little better.

It was all she could do to not start screaming and struggling to get away. But her ankles and wrists were tied tightly to the chair she was sitting on. There was no way she could escape this. It didn't help that the blindfold allowed her to experience his rough groping tenfold. She involuntarily shuddered her disgust and another pair of grubby hands clutched greedily at her breasts. Her reaction was instinctive; she slammed her head back as hard as she could, listening with a fleeting satisfaction as her assailant's nose cracked from where he was molesting her from behind.

"She's fucking awake!" One of them exclaimed and burst out laughing at his friend's injury.

"_Fuck_ you!" She heard the muffled response and an instant later a fist hit her jaw and her neck snapped to the side, cracking at the unexpected force of the blow.

"You hit like a little bitch." Claire sneered bitterly, before she spat out the blood pouring into her mouth from where her teeth had cut the inside of her cheek. She'd be damned if she was going to make this easy for them. They'd have to kill her to stop her from fighting back.

"I'll fucking teach you –

He broke off from his threat and let out a loud bloodcurdling scream, followed by a few other terrified shouts and exclamations. Claire listened intently as she heard bones break and howls of disbelief and panic flooding the room. She could smell the coppery tinge of blood permeating all around her, and she wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she felt it spatter on her as well.

Then everything went deadly quiet.

She braced herself, wondering if these men were just messing with her and that soon their hands would be groping at her again… or worse. Anticipating this, she jumped and instantly started struggling when a pair of slender hands gently cupped her face. It didn't take long for her to recognize the familiar feel and as if in confirmation, that intoxicating scent invaded her nostrils where she had been breathing sharply through her nose.

"Alice…" She smiled and relaxed into the welcoming feminine palms, her blindfold was removed moments after.

She watched with unshed tears of relief as Alice gently undid her wrist and ankle restraints. The vampire's eyes were dark and scary, so she didn't throw herself into Alice's arms like she initially wanted to. Instead, she allowed the vampire to scoop her up bridal style and carry her toward the exit.

It never occurred to Claire to insist on walking herself, she wasn't injured and could probably stand on her own two feet. Instead she just wrapped her arms around Alice's neck and welcomed the instant comfort being in contact with the brunette's warm body brought her. Claire barely noticed the dozens of body parts which lay scattered across the floor as she was too busy looking up into Alice's blood covered face, as the vampire fixedly stared straight ahead of her.

She wondered if Alice was mad at her… It wasn't like she had _asked_ to be kidnapped… If anything it was Alice's fault for framing Ada. _Oh!_ Maybe she blamed herself, that's why she was so serious, Claire thought, but chose not to say anything, for fear that she might be wrong and then the vampire would think she thought that. Trying to distract herself from Alice's unsettling intensity, she finally looked back and saw the carnage the woman had created and had to look away again in absolute horror.

The vampire hadn't just killed those men, she had literally torn them apart. Limbs, heads, organs and viscera all lay splattered behind them. Claire swallowed down the bile rising in her throat.

"You couldn't have maybe…_ restrained _them?" She tentatively enquired, her eyes unwillingly moving back to the bloodbath just as they exited the building.

She watched as Alice's jaw tightened even more.

"It was my right to seek vengeance." Alice seethed, taking deep deliberate breaths as though she was still struggling to control her rage. "As it was your right to avenge your family." The muscles in her jaw clenched and unclenched, indicating just how very agitated she still was. "I should have protected you, it was my duty. Instead I placed you in danger." Alice seemed to grow even more tensed after admitting that.

"This wasn't your fault. Ada's an opportunistic bitch." Claire muttered angrily, even though she had suspected the vampire would feel that way.

"Was it your fault that you were not home to protect Chris and Dahlia?" Alice asked, still staring straight ahead as she carried Claire back to the car.

A sharp pain shot through Claire's chest at the question and the memories and feelings it evoked.

"It was not." Alice asserted. "But they were your family. You loved them, you wanted to protect them. You felt as though you failed when you were not accountable. _He _was_,_ and you did the only thing you could do for them. You avenged them. As was your right. As it was mine this night."

Claire wasn't quite sure how Alice's passionate response made her feel and was saved from saying anything by Jill rushing toward them. She could feel Alice tense even further and pull Claire impossibly closer. The vampire crouched slightly and hissed Jill into a stationary position.

Claire looked up at the threatening glare being directed at Jill and back to her friend whose face reflected a mixture of relief, fear and confusion.

"I'm okay Jill. Not so sure 'bout Alice though…" Claire explained as confused as everyone else was.

The vampire glowered at that, but said nothing as she straightened up again. Claire shrugged at her friend as Alice carried her passed Jill to where Luther was holding the back door open for her and gingerly climbed into the backseat with Claire still securely in her arms, and now seated in her lap.

Luther and Jill exchanged puzzled glances, neither one prepared to challenge the blood covered vampire, and got into the front of the Maserati.

"We need to call the police. Alice did a number on Ada's gang." Claire told no one in particular, but knew they couldn't just leave the bodies – or the pieces that were left of them - there.

"I'll call Albert for the clean-up." Luther answered.

"Did they hurt you?" Jill asked Claire and Alice responded with a loud rancorous growl that startled everyone in the car.

Claire was surprised that Alice hadn't growled at all as she tore those men apart. Perhaps growling was an expression of frustration or served as a warning. What Alice did to those men was a resolute annihilation. They had received no warning. It was over in mere seconds…

"No. I'm fine Jill." Claire smiled reassuringly at her friend, her jaw would be a little tender and bruised, but that guy really did hit like a little bitch. She also hoped that her words would somehow calm Alice too. "What's wrong with her?" She worriedly asked Luther.

Alice finally shifted her vacant glare to look at the woman in her arms.

"I am enraged." She said her shoulders rising and falling with the strain of keeping her temper from flaring up and Claire realised that speaking made it that much harder for the vampire to keep control. "I am _not_ an imbecile. You may direct your queries at _me _not Luther." She heatedly told the stunned redhead who nodded in apology.

"Do you need anything?" Claire softly enquired.

Luther watched them in the rear-view mirror, touched at what he was seeing.

Alice - now solemn at hearing the compassion in Claire's voice - slowly shook her head no.

"I cannot recall ever having been so terrified in my life." She whispered softly, the anger somewhat giving way to grief. "When I saw those men touching you… hitting you… I just need some time to collect myself… I am still struggling with my more… baser instincts." Alice gave a weak smile as a tear slid across her cheek, much to Claire's surprise.

She reached out and threaded her fingers into the soft hairs behind Alice's neck and gently started massaging there. The vampire's rigid neck went limp and Alice bent down to rest her forehead against Claire's and her eyes fluttered closed.

The detective had discovered that particular spot in the early hours of the morning, when she'd laid blissfully exhausted and mindlessly caressing every part of the vampire that was within reach. Alice's contented purring had grown deeper when her fingers had accidently pressed down on it and the vampire had slumped into Claire's side, falling asleep only moments later.

Alice didn't purr this time though, but seemed to be considerably more relaxed at the touch.

"I'm okay Alice." Claire whispered, affectionately brushing her nose against the brunette's. "You saved me."

…

Though Alice seemed a lot less livid, she was still reluctant to let Jill close enough to Claire to actually examine her.

"I hold three medical degrees _Doctor_ Valentine." Alice flippantly told the ME as she carried an apologetic, yet still very amused, looking Claire up the stairs.

Luther chuckled at Jill's flabbergasted expression and steered her through the mansion toward his apartment.

"Alice has a small dispensary in that medical bag of hers. She's had it stocked since I started visiting her during school holidays as a boy. Don't worry," he reassured, "Claire's in good hands."

….

It was only once they entered Alice's room and the vampire gently sat her on the counter in the bathroom, that Claire truly noticed the state that Alice was in. She was almost completely covered in dirt and dried blood.

She sat quietly as the vampire examined her, gentle hands running over her body in spite of the hard gaze and periodic growling at the bruises on her wrists and reddened tender flesh of her jaw. Claire was also visibly sniffed and felt uncomfortable at how filthy she must be after the days' events.

She obediently ate the protein bar she was given, happy her jaw didn't hurt too much to chew and dutifully swallowed down the pills she was given after, not asking any questions. It wasn't as bad as the vampire thought it was. She'd been unconscious through most of her abduction and was happy that she got away with only a headache, a few stiff muscles and a tender jaw.

Alice finally left her side and went to turn on the shower, and let the water run. Claire's heart started slamming fiercely against her chest at what she assumed Alice intended on doing next. She hoped she wouldn't have a heart attack given all the excitement of the day. Once satisfied with the water temperature, Alice removed Claire's shoes and socks and carried the still clothed detective into the shower.

She carefully helped Claire stand just outside of the warm spray and proceeded to carefully undress her Beloved. Surprisingly, in spite of being in a shower with Alice, Claire's body's response was severely dampened by the very clinical approach the vampire took in disrobing her. Claire soon realised that it wasn't a seduction at all, as Alice continued to prudently examine every inch of naked flesh she uncovered.

The vampire then proceeded to lather the mass of red hair with shampoo, gently massaging Claire's scalp, causing the redhead's eyes to close as her exhausted and worn body finally started to shut down. She was instantly wide awake again when she felt Alice's hands - slick with shower gel - sliding very meticulously over her body. She watched as the hardened expression of the vampire's face grew softer with each caress and was replaced with a melancholic guilt.

It was then that Claire decided to step in, reached out and unzipped the LBD Alice still wore. Not bothering to hide the affect Alice's flawless - albeit dirty - body had on her as she rubbed her soapy hands all over the lanky frame. She washed the vampire's hair in turn, revelling in the silky feel of the brown curls and smiled when she felt and heard the vampire purring as a result of her ministrations.

Unfortunately, Alice didn't seem to feel worthy of the attention as the purring abruptly stopped and the vampire's eyes flew open to look at Claire. She stepped under the spray to rinse off and attempted to guide Claire out the shower.

"Hey…" Claire tenderly chided and stopped their exit. "I'm okay…" Claire tried to reassure her again, cupping Alice's cheek, gently forcing the brooding vampire to look at her, but Alice averted her gaze. "Come on Sparkles, don't go all Edward on me now…" Claire bit her lip as she fought her grin at the instant fire the statement evoked, but instead of the rant she was hoping for, Alice drew her in for a tight hug, pressing her face into Claire's neck and the human just held onto the shaking body as Alice finally wept her relief.

Alice's soft rasping cries tore at Claire's insides. It felt as though her heart was being torn to pieces. It felt so _wrong_ to hear those sounds from _Alice_. Claire didn't know what to do to make it stop, so she just pulled Alice closer and decided to hold onto her for as long as the vampire needed.

It was only when the water ran cold that Alice looked up into Claire's tired bloodshot eyes. She shut off the shower and wrapped them both in towels, drying as much of Claire's limp body as she could. She didn't bother with any clothes as she placed a naked Claire into her bed, who managed to mumble a weary, yet heartfelt '_Thank you Alice'_ before instantly falling asleep.

…..

The following morning, Jill quietly made her way out of Luther's large separate entrance apartment and into the main house. She was worried about Claire and in spite of Luther's reassurances, she just had to see for herself that her friend was fine. She was worried that the vampire, in her relief, hadn't accidently fucked Claire to death, or that the vampire, in her obvious primal state, hadn't eaten Claire to death…Or done_ both_ for that matter.

She halted at the top of the stairs, trying to remember which way Claire's room was in the massive mansion. After one wrong turn, she spotted a few familiar paintings and rushed to Claire's closed door but stopped as she saw the redhead sprawled on the bed in the room adjacent to hers instead. Well, she had stopped at the sound of the loud purring emanating from the doorway. She watched with unmasked curiosity as Claire laid alone in bed, clearly having just woken, a small affectionate smile on her face as she ran her fingers through the vampire's hair, who sat on her haunches beside the bed. Alice's eyes were closed and she was dressed in a red silk kimono, her arms and head resting against Claire's side.

The vampire's purring abruptly stopped and Jill was greeted with two piercing green eyes, staring directly at her. Still tense about the vampire's aggressive behaviour the night before, she clutched a hand over her mouth in a physical attempt to smother the frightened squeak that left her. It gained Claire's attention and the detective smiled brightly at her friend.

"Nothing's broken. Perhaps just my pride at not having seen it coming." Claire stated, not ceasing her petting of Alice's head and soon the hypnotic purring filled the room again.

It was strange after having seen what Alice had done to Ada. It was as bizarre as watching a wild tigress playing with a ball of yarn. An endearing sight, yet one would still not go and scratch behind her ear because of it.

It seemed as though only Claire held that privilege.

"Good. Uh, Luther's making breakfast." She half-lied. Luther was still sleeping, but she would be sure to go wake him up to do so. "You need to eat something. Get your strength up." Jill advised Claire, but looked at Alice, who nodded her understanding and then leaned further into Claire's hand purring even louder, causing Claire's grin to grow even wider.

"Uh… Okay then." Jill said awkwardly, as she took a step forward and gave into the weird urge to close the door on the scene.

….

**A/N: Progress! Will Claire freak out again once she realises what's going on? Will that happen before or after they make sweet passionate _lurve_? Will something happen before they get the chance to make sweet passionate _lurve_? Will I be able to_ not_ have them make sweet passionate _lurve_ after _all_ the shit they've been through? Find out next week (tomorrow) on Gays of our Lives!**

**Thanks for the R&R's!**

**Tlc125: I am not 'TooTall' I am 'Tall'_er_' there's a difference, that difference being that you are 'TooShort' ;-P You really shouldn't mix dark liquor with light liquor, it really messes with a person's equilibrium. Sometimes in situations where you feel both offended, cornered and angered, it's difficult to be articulate when you're instinctive need is to punch'em in the face. Wrote a lot of tenderness in chapter just for you. I'm starting to wrap the story up, so more of my particular brand of cheese will be coming through. I think that as much as Alice has changed Claire, the detective has changed the vampire too, or Carlos would've been impaled by that fork instead of just his tie lol**

**Webminky: Unfortunately I'm way more proficient at drunk dialling than I am at drunk writing. That's mainly 'cause drunk dialling requires less effort. What I'm struggling to understand though is why you and I would be shacked up on a tropical island with a jar of mayonnaise? Is this a deserted island? Are we on holiday? Is it the only food we have? Did our ship sink and the jar was the only thing I grabbed before jumping into the lifeboat? If we're on holiday then no, I will not waste my precious mayo on you _hater_. If we're starving on a deserted island, then yes, I will roast you over an open fire and rub you down with mayo and eat you all night long. And not in the good way. Lol you asked for that Monkey mwah Yeah Claire's indecisiveness, as you very well know, is all too familiar to me as well.**

**StarrH: Well fuck Starr… Aren't you the cunning linguist, you flatterer XD I do indeed wish to retract my statement, but alas, that still doesn't change the fact that there's an entire ocean between us. But don't fret, I have decided to be a productive optimist and have started building a boat. I believe that the fates have decreed that you and I are meant to 'go steady' and therefore, once my magnificent ship is finished, I will set sail and let my heart guide me to a shore where I am certain you will be eagerly waiting to 'go steady' with me;)**

**Angelsgir: They actually often use Ruth 1 16:17 during wedding ceremonies. If that's not a sign of what Ruth's intentions were then I dunno. Well it's Sunday and I'm starting to sober up. Unbelievable how the weekend can just fly by. Sigh. hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Guest a.k.a Narnia: Well aren't you a sweet little stalker;) I hope Alice isn't rubbing off on you. Her tactics work _2% of the time, every time _lol I'm glad you enjoy my writing and took the time to tell me. Thank you**

**Aliceabernathy96: lol it takes about 20 minutes to read one of my chapters, plenty of time left to have a life ;) I was very worried about how an AU Clairice would be received, so thanks for letting me know that you are enjoying it in spite of it being different! I appreciate it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**WARNING: Major Lesbian Processing. I still don't know what happens in this chapter. Much like when I'm lesbian processing IRL. People are rarely on the same page with me. **

**Chapter 14**

**…Naked**

Claire had woken up to find the vampire asleep on her haunches next to the bed. She wondered if Alice had been in that position the entire night. After reaching out for the bottle of water on the night stand and halving its contents, Claire reached out to gently run her fingers through the soft dark curls of her saviour.

It was an odd emotion for Claire, to feel_ that _protected and desired. It was only the pessimist inside of her that hadn't wanted to count on it, but when she had woken to her fate the night before, her first coherent thought had been that Alice would come for her. It had been such a strong belief that her immediate reaction had been to shove it back to the farthest recesses of her mind and completely ignore its existence. She was far too used to being disappointed.

But Alice _had_ come for her and she'd eviscerated her captors.

Claire had thought that all it would take for her infatuation with the vampire to come to an abrupt conclusion, was to see Alice's more violent nature first hand. Olivia Tate and Michelle Stevens were nothing in comparison to the destruction Alice had caused in that warehouse. And yet, it had made no difference to Claire's growing obsession. Without meaning to, she had already accepted Alice for all she was a long time ago. And it wasn't because the vampire had saved her life, but because Alice had accepted _her_ right from the start.

Claire was certain that a few days in the vampire's company and the elegant woman would lose interest in her. But never did that affectionate gaze falter. If anything, it had grown even more intense over the past few weeks. Alice had seen Claire at her worst and she'd _understood_ and had bothered to look_ deeper_.

Past the impassive, emotionally damaged, alcoholic Claire had allowed herself to become.

Luther had spoken about Alice's 'elaborate courting plan' and the vampire never made a secret of what she was doing. Honestly, Claire didn't see how this 'plan' of Alice's could possibly work given that she was completely aware of it and its purpose.

But somehow it had.

From the very start Alice had been nothing but herself, unashamedly and ostentatiously showing Claire her darker side. Even their 'random' conversations served to allow Claire to get to know the woman as more than just a vampire in the short time she'd lived in the mansion. Alice had come into her life at her very worst and almost effortlessly made Claire_ feel_ again.

And now she was there in the vampire's bed, feeling all these feels, and she couldn't blame it on gratitude, because even earlier the day before, she was floating on air at the night she'd spent with Alice. She had been looking forward to their dinner; to just being close to the brunette again.

As if realising that that was exactly what she needed: Alice closer to her, she moved the covers to the side, the brunette moving away to allow her to do so. Heedless of her naked state, Claire bared herself and pulled the vampire into bed with her. Alice crawled up her body with her usual feline agility, settling feather-lightly on top of Claire, ever cautious of any injuries she might have missed during her very thorough examination the night before. But in spite of a few slightly sore muscles and a minor headache, Claire was fine and she felt well rested. The anti-inflammatory Alice had given her helped with her jaw and it was only a little stiff and barely hurt at all.

Swallowing down her nerves, Claire reached out to touch the soft skin of Alice's cheek and the vampire responded by placing a gentle kiss on Claire's bruised wrist. She wanted to say it then; to tell Alice how she felt, but for some reason she couldn't find the words. To even articulate them into intelligible sentences seemed an impossible task. That she was still so confused about what she was feeling, and the legitimacy thereof didn't help at all.

"Why didn't you sleep in bed?" She softly whispered instead.

Alice smiled timidly before answering.

"I did not want you to feel as though I expected anything because I rescued you."

Claire grinned at the statement. Yes Alice was undeniably merciless and intimidating when she wanted to be, but even then, she was always so… _proper_.

"How old are you?" Claire warmly smiled up at her, asking one of the numerous questions she'd been dying to ask the vampire.

Alice had dated Luther's mother in the 80's, she'd shared quite a few quips from the 60's. During one of her rants she'd spoken about the idiocy of humans during world war two.

"I am four hundred and twelve." Alice smirked at Claire's failed attempt to hide her wide eyed stare. "How are you feeling Claire?" She asked, her eyes settling on the redhead's jaw before Claire could get over her shock and assault her with the flood of questions on the tip of her tongue.

Alice's blatant concern only made Claire's chest tighten with an aching warmth. Was this really happening? Had she really fallen for a vampire?

"I feel…" She swallowed thickly. "_Happy_." Claire smiled and pulled Alice down for a gentle kiss.

Unfortunately she'd momentarily forgotten the effect the brunette had on her, so the kiss soon deepened and was quickly accompanied by urgent, almost desperate, caresses. They hadn't been kissing long, but Claire had already learned to expertly navigate her tongue around Alice's sharp fangs.

She broke away gasping for air and a grip on her feelings. "Alice..." It came out as a strangled, distressed moan that caused the vampire to pull back and worriedly search her face.

Claire felt entirely naked and it had little to do with her state of undress. Sometimes Alice would look at her as though she could see everything that Claire felt. She wondered if it was possible, and if the vampire could see her now.

Alice smiled perceptively and kissed her on her forehead.

"I am going to get you something to eat and apologise to Doctor Valentine for my brutish behaviour." Alice smirked like she wasn't sorry at all.

Claire was thankful that Alice took it upon herself to relieve the intensity of the moment. She hadn't realised that she was on the verge of yet another panic attack. Perhaps she was still feeling overwhelmed at everything that had happened. Perhaps after she ate something she would feel different. Perhaps it really _was_ just gratitude that Alice had saved her, which fuelled her current state of emotion after all.

….

While she ate her breakfast in bed, Claire was painfully aware of Alice in the shower. The bathroom door was slightly ajar and she wondered if it was an invitation. She felt oddly insecure as to whether the vampire would accept her advances considering she was being treated like she was on her deathbed and Alice had been the one to stop anything physical from happening earlier on.

Of course she had also received two massive blows to the head: First when she was initially taken by Ada's men and then again when she head-butted the fucker who touched her breasts.

Claire cringed at the memory and then sighed heavily a moment later. For every reason she came up with that she had actually developed genuine feelings for Alice, she would think of a few reasons that sought to invalidate them.

Her thoughts were abruptly halted when Alice emerged from the bathroom wrapped in her silky black kimono and strode over to her massive walk-in closet and disappeared inside. She was in there for perhaps five minutes, during all of which, Claire's eyes had been locked on the open door barring her view, her mind drawn blank, save for the few flashing images of the naked vampire and that sexy lingerie she loved to wear.

When Alice stepped out again, Claire had to bite her lip seeing the vampire in her characteristic LBD and fuck-me heels.

"Are you going somewhere?" The sentence came out choked as her eyes compulsively wandered over Alice's lithe body.

It was a senseless assumption, as Claire knew that Alice didn't have to be going anywhere and would still look that gorgeous.

"I made a promise to Ada Wong that I intend on keeping." Alice answered tersely, some of that anger from the previous night seeping through.

Claire discarded the food tray and moved to get out of bed but remembered how naked she was. She wasn't that comfortable with displaying herself so nonchalantly when not in the heat of the moment. She sat up straighter instead, making sure to cover herself, which was still ridiculous since Alice had seen every inch of her body.

"She's already in jail Alice…" Claire tried to explain very carefully and the vampire's look darkened.

"Because of _her_ you were almost _raped _and _murdered_!" Alice's anger flared up again. "What do you think will happen if I do not retaliate as I had vowed? Any mercy will be interpreted as weakness. She already knows what you mean to me. I had taken her by surprise yesterday. She'd not expected _me_ to come. Should she wish to use you as leverage again for either her escape or her retribution, she would know _exactly_ what to do. It would be as simple as orchestrating yet another abduction and specifically extort my brother's influence to gain her freedom. Or if she is, as I suspect, the vengeful sort, she could easily just instruct her goons to kill you the next time they have the chance."

Claire was listening very carefully to the vampire's plight, but could she _knowingly _just sit back and allow Alice to go and kill someone in cold blood? Of course she'd lost her faith in the judiciary system a long time ago. She herself had taken the law into her own hands, and by no means was she intent on acting the hypocrite, but was she not still an officer of the law? Was it not her duty to stop people from doing what Alice is about to go and do?

"I am sorry Claire." Alice looked at her apologetically. "This is not up for discussion. If you wish, you may arrest me again, but we both know it would be futile. I cannot allow Ada Wong to live and be a continued threat to you, and I certainly cannot allow her to live after what she has done."

Alice then strolled over to the bed, bent down and kissed her chastely on the lips, like Claire was her wife and she was about to head out to the office.

"I hope you will forgive me." She whispered sincerely, before straightening up again and walking toward the door.

Claire could only stare after her, her conflicting emotions forcing her into sudden erratic deliberation.

"_Alice_!" She called out almost frantically as Alice reached for the doorknob, Claire's heart pounded loud in her chest at what she'd finally decided.

The vampire turned instantly regarding her with a vexed look.

"Can Ada wait a little bit longer?" Claire hesitantly asked, feeling physically drained by the willpower it took to not cower away from her intentions. "I was hoping we could… speak… about… _stuff_." She not so eloquently finished.

Alice's brow lifted slightly but she walked back to the bed, perching on the edge and reached down to take off her heels. Claire watched the movements in fascination as she gripped the sheets tightly against her chest. After placing the pair of heels neatly next to one another, Alice casually leaned back onto her arms, crossed her legs at the knee and turned a curious gaze toward Claire.

The hammering of her heart grew even louder in her ears as she stared at the woman, trying anxiously to make sense of the mass of thoughts and emotions rushing through her.

"If I were to…" She trailed off and frowned. "Let's just say…" She rephrased without any luck and gritted her teeth in frustration.

Alice just patiently sat there, a warm friendly smile on her face, making no attempt to assist Claire in any way. It only added to Claire's growing irritability at her inarticulate mutterings.

"Do you want to bite me!?" She eventually shouted angrily at the vampire, whose back went rigid and she sat upright again, looking understandably disturbed at what appeared to be an accusation.

"Uh. _Sorry_." Claire sheepishly apologised before trying again. "What I meant to ask was… If I were to… agree… to… uh…" She struggled with how to classify what she was asking exactly, tilting her head as she searched for the right phrasing. "…_date you_?" Her voice rose as if asking the vampire if that was the proper term. "Would that involve you biting me and would you want me to be a vampire too?" The last part was quickly rushed out. And Claire let out a long breath of relief that she eventually managed to say something that resembled a logical thought process.

Alice's face broke into a brilliant crooked grin, so wide it crinkled her eyes at the corners and her green orbs sparkled with unequivocal elation. Claire thought that it was by far the most beautiful of the vampire's smiles to date.

"The choice of becoming vampire is yours to make." Alice spoke tentatively in a low raspy tone, Claire could see her trying to mask her excitement. "The same goes for whether you would want me to feed on you or not. Albeit once for curiosity sake, or multiple times for the sake of pleasure…" The eagerness in Alice's eyes was very hard to misconstrue.

"Multiple times?" Claire's brows furrowed. "I thought it's you bite me, I'm a vampire or I die?"

It took a few seconds, but once Claire was positive she understood correctly, she jumped out of bed to get some distance between her and the vampire.

"_Wait_, just so we're on the same page here." She started, glaring angrily at the confused looking brunette. "You can feed from me and _not_ kill me or turn me into a vampire?" Her voice rose as she spoke.

"Yes…" Alice answered puzzled by Claire's reaction.

"I was under the impression that you killed people to _survive_?!" Claire shouted incredulously. "And here you're telling me that no one needed to die? You just killed them _anyway_?" She started pacing the carpet, running her fingers through her hair, feeling like a naïve fool.

Obviously she understood that Tate and Stevens were exceptions to that, but still, she never realised Alice could just drink some blood and only leave bite marks instead of dead bodies.

"Human life really means nothing to you does it?" Claire whispered harshly.

The vampire remained seated on the bed, intently watching the distressed naked woman pacing in front of her. She would've smirked at the sight was it not for how genuinely distraught Claire was.

"I have killed many humans for many reasons. I am what I am Claire. I will not apologise for it." She lifted her chin proudly and defiantly. "Human life does indeed mean nothing to me. Aside from you, there are exactly three other exceptions to that. Those would most obviously include Luther and also his grandmother Eugenia, whom I have known for almost three decades and care about for the extraordinary woman that she is and not only because of how well she had raised her grandson. The remaining human would be Dr Valentine, who I took under consideration because of you, but who has earned my subsequent respect all on her own. Notably left out here is Detective Olivera who had the same initial courtesy extended to him as Dr Valentine. I spared him at the pub because you had asked it. But should he not heed my warning and persist in provoking me, I will most certainly rip out his throat without a second thought, as I had promised."

Claire stood slack-jawed and just gaped at the vampire. She should've been surprised. She wanted to be surprised, but she had known it all along even if she never wanted to admit it to herself. The vampire wore her impassivity wherever she went. She kills humans without doubt or hesitation and she feels no remorse. But Claire could hardly see her as cold and unfeeling… Not after yesterday. Not after this morning. Fuck, Alice wore her emotions on her fucking sleeve around Claire.

"So is that what it means to be a vampire? Humans are just food to you?"

"No Claire. That is what it means to be _me_." Alice held her gaze steadily. She could see that the vampire wasn't trying to upset her, that Alice was answering her questions as openly and as honestly as she could, both women were well aware of how this conversation could undo all the progress they had made.

"Like humans, vampires are not all the same. I keep a handful of people close to me, vampire or human, it does not matter. I will not actively seek friendships, as I do not have an inherent need for social acceptance like most. I do not seek validation through the amount of people I surround myself with. Instead I wholeheartedly care for the few I do allow into my life. The rest mean _nothing _to me." Alice looked at Claire, still desperately trying to absorb and understand what she was saying.

"Tell me who other than Doctor Valentine and that imbecile do you care about?" She softly asked Claire who seemed to register exactly what Alice was saying.

For the last three years she had cared about nothing and no one. She did her job, she found a fleeting rush when she was beating up a suspect here and there. She kept going mainly because she didn't want to let Jill and Carlos down. There were those she tolerated, like Leon, who she was sure was a wonderful guy, but she never bothered to find out more about him. She'd never been to his house, she doesn't know if he has a girlfriend or a pet even and yet they'd gotten drunk together quite a few times. Alice was making it seem like it was okay to have only two people to care about and not give a flying fuck about the rest of the world. That that was enough. Was it? Is it supposed to be? Isn't everyone supposed to all be a big happy family? Isn't it the normal thing to have a group of friends who you go out with? Love thy neighbour and all that shit. Wasn't it the mentally sane way to live your life? Surrounded by as many loved ones as you can get your hands on?

Claire wasn't sure she knew the difference between right and wrong anymore. Her feelings for the vampire for example, were entirely wrong, but also felt completely right. That she had just managed to understand why the vampire didn't care for human life – not that she agreed with Alice's killing of course, but she _got it_. She understood Alice's indifference on the matter. She kinda knew the feeling to a considerably lesser extent.

Alice sighed heavily, looking disappointed in Claire for some reason the redhead couldn't fathom. When had she suddenly become the bad guy in this conversation?

"I do not recall ever having stated that my sole motivation in ending a life was sustenance, Claire." Alice sounded tired and on edge. "In spite of that, disposing of those we feed on does serve its purpose." She continued, gritting her teeth, frustrated that Claire still didn't understand her nature. "Draining one body will lessen the frequency in between having to feed. What do you think would happen if instead of missing person reports and isolated cases of bodies with unidentified bite marks, you had hordes walking into the precinct demanding you sharpen your pitchforks and light your torches? How do you think the media would respond?" Alice cocked her head to the side, studying Claire. "There would be wide spread panic. What do you think would happen if people actually started to believe their tales and came after me?"

"You'd kill even more people." Claire sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Undoubtedly." Alice laughed humourlessly. "Do you think my brother enjoys the spotlight?" She asked seemingly randomly.

A confused Claire studied the vampire's neutral expression before she simply shrugged. She didn't know Albert Wesker at all.

"We are not immortal." Alice said turning her gaze from Claire to stare at the carpet with a faraway look. "We may have been provided with the gifts of longevity and accelerated healing to create this perception, but we can most certainly die…"

Claire walked over to the bed and went to sit beside her, concern already etching her features at Alice's forlorn intonation.

"Bullets do not kill us, but they can incapacitate long enough for other more… _permanent_ measures to be taken." She looked over at Claire. "Decapitation, _fire_…" She murmured with a grimace.

The redhead was surprised at Alice's full disclosure. She'd forgotten that her initial plan had been to find out how to kill vampires and here Alice was telling her exactly how to do it and giving her that sagacious look, revealing that the vampire somehow knew of her intentions.

Claire's mouth opened to say something, but then she closed it again guiltily averting her eyes. Alice didn't call her out on it, and instead just smiled sadly at her.

"They tend to target one of us, to try and get to the other. My brother and I have been on the run for centuries." She dejectedly hung her head. "That was until he noticed that we had found ourselves in a world where your status and wealth determined your fate. Humans kill each other indiscriminately to gain power. Few care now how we sustain ourselves as long as it's not any of them who suffer it. My brother knows this. He has made it possible for us to have a home. To settle in one place." She smiled proudly.

"But when the general public see him not aging…" Claire started. "… not everyone knows how to play the game, they'll notice and they'll come after you!" She stated desperately grabbing hold of Alice's hand, clutching it in her own.

Her fear of innocents dying dissipated and was instantly replaced with worry for Alice. She didn't know what Alice could do if the National Guard showed up with machine guns and flame throwers. No matter how fast Alice was, they wouldn't even need to aim. They could just surround the house, block each exit, disperse smoke bombs and flash bangs and Molotov cocktails indiscriminately.

Her chest heaved under the strain of her dread at the thought. Alice was walking around threatening politicians like it was nothing. They knew what she was, and where she lived. They could just come there when she was asleep and… and…

Claire glanced up into Alice's eyes carefully searching her face, her hand still clutching onto the vampire's so hard it would've hurt anyone else.

"You can't die too." Claire's voice broke and she tried to hold back her tears at just how distraught that prospect left her.

She was frustrated at how emotional she'd woken up – from up then down to yes then no to right then wrong – she couldn't keep up any longer. She didn't want to think anymore and decided to do just stop thinking.

"I've only just met you Sparkles." Claire's smile was a weak attempt, mirrored by the vampire's own as Alice reached out to brush a strand of red hair behind Claire's ear. She let her finger travel down Claire's jaw, to settle under her chin tilting it up.

"We are safe." Alice gently assured. "Safer than we have ever been. My brother is very adept at playing this game. We are untouchable when it comes to the laws that dictate society. Our only enemy now is leaving loose ends to plot their vengeance…"

"Ada Wong." Claire breathed, understanding that Alice needed to dispose of Ada for both their sakes.

"Trust me, when they come for us, it will not be to persecute against some perceived moral misconduct, it has almost always ever been to procure for themselves what is rightfully ours." Alice sneered distastefully. "The majority of humans are avaricious and corrupt. They blindly follow the hand which feeds them. This has been the longest that my brother and I have been able to live as ourselves without any retaliation." Alice shook her head slowly like she couldn't believe how easy it's been. "We keep their pockets full, they keep their mouths shut. The fact that we could easily snap their necks also aids us of course." She smirked, but her features sobered and her heart warmed at Claire's worried eyes staring back at her.

"I promise to protect you Claire." She whispered with conviction. "Whether you choose to remain human or become vampire, your safety will take precedence above all else. And I will cherish you till my very last breath." Alice swallowed thickly, unable to look away from the large blue eyes looking back at her – completely unmasked for the first time - glistening slightly with unshed tears.

Claire said nothing as she pressed their lips together.

It was indescribably intense.

Claire's chest was tight and aching, yet her shoulders sagged with relief. She pulled Alice back onto her, while clumsily unzipping the vampire's dress, which disappeared with a few garish tearing sounds when Alice's decided to help and seconds later they moaned in unison as their naked bodies finally melted together.

It had been a long morning of confessions and confusion. Claire didn't want to think about anything other than the gorgeous creature writhing on top of her. She focused solely on the feel of Alice's lean back muscles flexing beneath her fingertips. Alice's soft breasts pressing against her own; Alice's wetness moving along Claire's thigh... She groaned at how aroused the vampire clearly was and rolled her hips up into Alice's palm, where two long slender fingers, were buried deep inside of her. Claire moaned again, lazily rocking against Alice, clenching around the two digits, feeling content with finally having Alice filling her like that.

They moved together. Slow and hard. Claire knew it was her sweat coating their bodies as the vampire's laboured breaths were entirely caused by her arousal and not the strain of any physical exertion. Claire laughed dizzily as she canted her hips, scratching down Alice's back. She wasn't even doing much, yet Alice had managed to consume her very being.

She felt soft lips kissing down her neck, stopping to suck at her pulse point and instinctually tilted her head to the side, to allow the vampire more access. Alice's initial growl at the submission, turned into a needy whimper, causing Claire to convulse tightly onto the fingers eagerly stroking inside of her. Sharp fangs gently scraped over her sensitive flesh, doing no harm, yet leaving Claire feeling as though she'd turned into a puddle of liquid bliss.

Her hand moved up and cradled the vampire into her neck.

"Do it." She whispered breathlessly. _Mindlessly._

In spite of the force she'd been using to keep Alice's head down, the vampire effortlessly lifted her gaze to look at Claire. She saw Alice's hesitation and she saw her hunger. Claire moaned at the want and love she found there and pressed Alice's head to her neck again, roughly tangling her fingers into the vampire's silky hair, eliciting another deep growl that made her shudder as it echoed into her own body. Alice allowed herself to be manhandled, absently sucking on Claire's neck again, but going no further.

Instead the vampire resumed her slow, purposeful strokes as their bodies moved rhythmically together.

Claire lost herself for a while in the renewed pace, she was so close…

"I just wanna…" She moaned breathlessly into Alice's ear as the brunette started slamming harder and curling deeper into her body. "Oh god..." Every gasp, every movement of her hips felt like pure pleasure. "Alice… Just… _fuck_… I want to… give you… a part of me." Claire bit her lip, breathing sharply through her nose, trying to fight her orgasm for just a little while longer as her body trembled uncontrollably in anticipation of her release.

The resulting effect was an intense, almost painfully pleasurable ache, spreading up her abdomen and settling there. She could feel Alice's pace had plateaued as she listened intently to her lover making her request.

"Even if it's just a taste…" Claire husked, letting her teeth graze over Alice's ear.

The response was instant.

A loud whine precipitated an even louder growl as Alice unclenched her jaw and punctured Claire's neck. The redhead screamed out in pain, which lasted only seconds before her cries turned more guttural as she was overcome by a sudden dizzying rush spreading heavenly heat up her spine. She hadn't thought it possible, but her already tightly coiling body experienced another wave of almost crippling arousal.

She clung to Alice as the vampire started purposefully moving again, one hand clawing between the brunette's shoulder blades, the other hooked onto a taut ass cheek, attempting to draw Alice even deeper inside of her, while she rode Claire's thigh.

It was devastating and all consuming, as Claire felt herself being stripped down to absolute nothingness. All she could feel was Alice, _everywhere_. Around her, against her, inside of her. Claire felt terrified yet liberated in the same breath. She could tangibly feel herself trusting the vampire completely, giving herself to Alice entirely.

Claire's resulting climax crashed through her without mercy, and though the vampire had removed her fangs, she didn't stop pumping into Claire as she licked over the redhead's neck with her own loud rasping moans.

"_Mine..."_ Alice growled almost savagely and Claire could feel the wet throbbing against her thigh and the tensing of the vampire's muscles indicating Alice' own release at the statement.

Her head was swimming, but she was by no means unaware of what was happening and being said. If anything she was hyperaware of it, she didn't stop at Alice's words, nor did she stop her climb to her second orgasm.

"I'm yours." Claire cried out, biting at Alice's cheek, her hand fisted tightly into the vampire's hair again. "God, Alice…" She whispered hoarsely, clinging to her lover with all the strength that she had left. "… I'm so yours." She breathlessly reaffirmed, blindly placing kisses against Alice's hair and the side of her face.

She smiled when they finally slowed their movements and that familiar low purring started up. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around Alice, feeling utterly contented and completely delirious.

…

**A/N: Most of us have gay panic, Claire has vampire panic. I don't understand her. Alice just blatantly told her humans mean nothing to her and Claire goes and finds a way to understand and somehow relate. **

**Sorry for all the emotions. It's Monday and late and I'm exhausted and I need to pack 'cause I'm working out of town this week. I didn't get to spend as much time on this chapter as I would've liked. Please inform me of mistakes and things that don't entirely make sense so I may fix it when I have the mental capacity to do so. Story's almost finished. I will properly respond to reviews tomorrow okay? Sorry 'bout that. Mwah thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Uhm… It never even occurred to me that Chapter 14 would be an acceptable ending. For those of you fine with that you don't need to continue reading then:) **

**WARNING: Someone gets dead. Two someones at the very least.**

**Chapter 15**

**Going out exactly how you came in**

After their shower, Alice had bandaged Claire's neck, making sure the bleeding had stopped. The vampire's eyes sparkled with pure happiness, mirroring Claire's perfectly. When Alice finished changing the sheets on the bed and gave her a deep goodbye kiss, Claire didn't stop her when she glided out the door this time round.

_Fuck Ada Wong._

Claire collapsed onto the bed, her childlike giddiness the only fuel her exhausted body was still running on. She eventually fell asleep, draped in Alice's red kimono, half tucked underneath the blankets, fiercely cuddling the brunette's pillow because it was still covered with the vampire's lingering scent. She was woken what seemed like only minutes later though, when she felt someone press up against her back and an arm wrap around her body.

Claire could instantly feel that it wasn't Alice.

"Go away." She sleepily moaned into her pillows.

Jill chuckled. "Too tired _fucking _the whole day to see your best friend? Oh how you _wound _me Redfield." She giggled while poking at Claire's sides. "Wake up! Tell me how you got the vampire's face to almost split in half the way she was smiling when she left here."

Claire's laughter was muffled by the pillow. "Tell you later." She mumbled, feeling like she was going to fall asleep again, but then Jill poked her again and she half growled, half laughed at her friend's persistence.

"Na-ah. She took Luther with her, so what do you expect me to do all by my lonesome? _Spill it_, I brought you a Redbull and I want to take a look at that bandage in your neck."

The last part came out more worried than joking and Claire gathered as much energy as she could to sit upright, leaning back against the headboard. She felt as though she'd slept more at Alice's house than she had the last three years combined. She exposed her neck to Jill who gently removed Alice's neat bandaging.

"Well, she certainly knows how to make _and_ dress a wound." Jill smirked before gently patching Claire up again. "And to make you scream." She added, waggling her eyebrows. "Luther and I were all the way over at his apartment, but fuck Claire!" Jill looked at her with wide admiring eyes. "Was it her venom? She told me it can act as an aphrodisiac…"

Claire was bright red at learning that Jill and Luther had heard her passionate cries.

"It wasn't just the venom." She bit her lip, shyly looking up at her friend. "It was everything… She's… god Jill… She's amazing…" Claire's shyness turned into sadness and Jill wrapped her in a hug.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked confused, wondering where the happiness that had been there just a second ago had gone.

"She really loves me... Fuck, I can see it whenever she looks at me. She doesn't even need to say it. I don't deserve that. I don't deserve her."

Jill pulled away to look at her dubiously.

"I think of everyone I know, you deserve it the most Claire."

"But everyone's gone…_ dead_… I'm not… I'm supposed to…"

"Mourn forever?" Jill asked. "I was more at your house than mine Redfield, mostly 'cause Chris was hot as fuck, but I got to know the rest of your family too." She smirked as Claire rolled her eyes at her. "I can say without a doubt, that every one of them would want you to be happy." Jill stated confidently.

Claire laughed then.

"I wonder how they would've handled the vampire part."

"They would've come around." The brunette chuckled. "Alice has a way of getting people to like her even when she scares the shit out of them."

They laughed again but the moment was interrupted by the insistent ringing of the doorbell. Claire lifted a questioning brow and Jill shrugged in response. The redhead slid off of the bed and walked out of Alice's room, down the hallway toward the music room where she peaked out one of the windows looking down at Carlos pacing at the bottom of the steps.

She let out a long suffering sigh and went back to Alice's room.

"It's Carlos."

"Shit, I forgot to tell him you were okay. That's probably why he's here."

"Alice may just kill him if she gets back and finds him in her house."

"With her _woman_." Jill wiggled her brows again and Claire only shook her head in amusement.

"How'd he even know where I was?"

Jill shrugged. "Alice made a scene in the Captain's office at the station. He probably guessed."

"She didn't kill Douglas did she?" Claire asked worriedly.

"Unfortunately not." Jill sighed.

"Jill!" Claire shrieked and laughed again before walking toward the door to go to her room.

She had definitely laughed and smiled more at Alice's house than she ever had over the last few years.

"I'm just gonna put on some clothes, might as well face the music. Will you let him in?" She asked Jill who groaned but nodded and left for downstairs.

Carlos had never been Jill's favourite person, she tolerated him for Claire's sake. When she'd asked Jill about it she'd said that she just didn't feel like being friends with him. It was a good enough answer for Claire, after all, she wasn't friends with any of Jill's other friends.

She smiled to herself as she buttoned up her shirt, thinking of Alice. She couldn't wait for the vampire to get back, but then frowned realising she needed to get Carlos out of there before Alice returned. She halted at the threshold of her room, scowled for a few moments, but turned around nonetheless, walked to her closet and took out her personal firearm. She fastened the harness around her torso and holstered the Glock under her left arm. Feeling complete, she skipped down the stairs, still unable to shake her elation, but summarily tensed at the bottom.

Something felt really _off_…

She drew her weapon on instinct and stretched it out in front of her as she slowly walked toward the parlour.

"Come on Claire! I heard you coming down the stairs!" Carlos angrily shouted from inside.

Claire rounded the corner and entered the parlour, her gun aimed directly at him. Her hand gripped tightly onto her weapon at the scene which greeted her. She felt her hackles rising in spite of the disabling fear that chilled her veins.

…

Alice was practically floating as she entered the supermarket, oblivious to all the stares she was receiving as she took hold of a cart and glided down the aisles. She filled it with Claire's favourite items, along with things she hoped the redhead would like.

The contented smile never left her face.

She had walked over to a cowering Ada and snapped her neck without a word being exchanged between the two of them. Luther was currently overseeing the disposal of the body and the obscene amount of forged paperwork that would have to accompany it. He had congratulated her on finding happiness and she'd teased him about finding Jill Valentine.

After she left the prison, she'd stopped by her brother's apartment and told him of the news, he was overjoyed and promised to come visit the next day, allowing Alice some more time with Claire. She wondered briefly if her brother thought Claire would retract her declaration, but Alice saw the resolve in Claire's eyes. She didn't doubt it for a second. The only reason she'd not rushed back home was so that Claire could rest and spend some time with Jill.

She knew that Jill had single-handedly kept Claire from the edge of her own destruction for the last few years, and for that she would forever be immensely grateful to the doctor. She would never keep them from each other. Alice had meant it when she told Jill that the ME was Claire's family. She then took two extra steaks and placed it in the cart, deciding she would ask Luther and Jill to join them for dinner that evening.

The cart came to an abrupt halt though as she felt a familiar prickling at the back of her neck. She'd felt it that first day she tracked Claire in the Arklay forest. And subsequently it had announced the redhead's presence in her immediate vicinity. But that day it came across as a strange, almost foreboding feeling. It was similar to the one she'd experienced when she'd waited on Claire to join her for dinner. _Then_ she'd thought it was her own insecurities playing with her, but now it could only mean one thing.

Alice instantly turned and_ ran_, becoming just a blur to the stares of the dozens who'd been watching the gorgeous, elegant woman casually shopping just like the rest of them. She didn't care who saw her or that she'd left her bag and car keys in the trolley. She didn't care when her shoes broke apart and tore away at the speed she was running. All she cared about was getting to Claire and making sure she was safe.

…..

"What in the actual _fuck_ Carlos!" Claire shouted at her partner as he held a gun to her trembling best friend's head.

"Lower your weapon." He replied. "Don't push me any further than you already have." He glared at her and Claire could see the desperation in his eyes.

She glanced at the frightened Jill, whose lip was already starting to swell where Carlos had evidently struck her. Claire lowered her weapon, her eyes scanning the rest of Jill's body for injuries, but luckily only found that the ME's hands were being held behind her back.

"Jill's not gay Carlos…" Claire tried to keep her voice calm even though all she wanted to do was rush forward and strangle some sense into the man.

"But the _demon_ that lives in this house is, and it's corrupted you."

Claire groaned, rubbing her hand over her face, feeling completely exhausted again. "I'm so sorry about this Jill." She apologised sincerely to her friend, feeling that it was her own fault for not telling Carlos she was gay and not interested sooner. She knew him well enough to gather that he was in fact there to slay this 'demon' and save Claire and Jill from its influence.

"Don't be." Jill said bitterly. "He's the one that's gonna be sorry when Alice gets back, cuts off his dick and shoves it in his mouth so he can go _blow_ himself."

"I would not touch Detective Olivera's penis with a ten foot pole." Came a loud indignant snarl from the doorway.

Claire took in the vampire's bare dirty feet and dishevelled state and new she'd run there. She let out a sigh of relief that Alice had arrived, even Jill seemed to relax more, well as much as she could, with the barrel of a gun still pointed firmly at her head.

"You are trespassing Detective Olivera." Alice told him icily, her movements were slow, but Carlos pointed the gun at her and fired twice, once in the shoulder, the second straight through her heart. He instantly brought the gun back to Jill's head, as if he somehow knew how fast Alice was.

Alice growled viciously, her body faltered and tensed as she wanted to impulsively attack, but she wouldn't risk it.

"Stay where you are." He shouted at Alice as Claire hurried toward the vampire, assessing the wounds that were bleeding far less than they should've been. She gazed up at Alice who nodded sternly that she was fine, giving Claire a quick once over herself.

"What do you want?" Alice gritted at the crazed detective.

"You. Dead." Came the curt reply.

"She's immortal Carlos!" Claire shouted, trying to sound convincing in spite of their earlier conversation flashing in her mind.

"Should I comply with your demands you will let Claire and Doctor Valentine go without harming them?"

"I'm not here to _harm_ them, but I will to rid the world of your evil." Carlos sneered.

Alice held her index finger in the air, as though asking Carlos for 'just a second' and rushed out the room, returning seconds later with a bible of all things.

"This is so not the time Alice." Claire said through clenched teeth, wondering why the vampire would want Carlos to go even crazier.

"You do not trust me." Alice stated. "I do not trust you. But I do trust that you would not break an oath sworn on your Bible." Alice told Carlos who had relaxed when he realised Alice wasn't going to start spouting verses at him again.

He set his jaw, lifting his chin with pride and nodded once. Alice handed the Bible to Claire, motioning for her to take it to Carlos.

"Swear that you will not harm them once my body hits this floor." Alice told him.

Carlos lifted the hand that had been restraining Jill's wrists and placed it on the Bible.

"I swear no harm will come to them." He said confidently. "I also swear to undo the brainwashing you have Claire under. She will come back to me and –

He was cut off when Claire snatched the Bible away and glared at him. She gritted her teeth, biting back the words that wanted to lash out at Carlos, but she wasn't about the set off an already ticking time bomb, not when that gun was still being aimed at Jill's head. She walked over to the counter and gently placed the Bible down. She may not have been a very religious individual, but she wasn't about to be disrespectful.

"We'll talk later." Carlos told Claire as though she were an ignorant child. His initial anger at her reaction was replaced by a pitying look.

"How do you intend on killing yourself?" Carlos asked. "You're strong and fast and two bullets did nothing to you." He asked sceptically.

He was many things, but an idiot he was not.

"I will shoot myself in the head, you will see for yourself the effect it has. Or _you_ could shoot me in the head, but your aim would need to be perfect." Alice challenged and Claire had to turn her face from Carlos to hide her relief that Alice wasn't actually intending on dying that day. She hoped Carlos would opt to shoot Alice, she knew the vampire just needed the slightest of openings to disarm the deranged man. They just needed that barrel away from Jill's head. But Carlos was watching Alice like a hawk.

"No, don't give into this piece of shit!" Jill started struggling in Carlos grip and the detective easily knocked her unconscious with the handle of his gun.

"You swore you would not harm them." Alice growled at the blood streaming down Jill's temple and she had to stretch out her arm to physically stop a fuming Claire who had started toward Carlos.

"You're not lying dead on the floor yet." Carlos seethed back. "Shoot her Claire." He demanded. "It has to be you, maybe then you'll see reason."

Claire hesitated, somehow she didn't think it would be that easy. Shooting Alice, even though it wouldn't kill her, seemed impossible.

The vampire turned to her then, her features softening. "Claire." She gently requested her beloved's attention and Claire's contemplative gaze flew up to a pair of loving green eyes.

Alice silently lowered onto her knees, keeping her eyes on Claire. "Trust me." Alice whispered as she reached out and pulled the gun Claire was still tightly gripping, toward her head. "You can do this for Jill." The vampire reassured her as she shifted the gun toward a very particular spot against her head. "Just one squeeze. Right _there_." Alice gently asserted, tilting the angle of the gun as her eyes pleaded with Claire to understand what she was asking. "And then you take Doctor Valentine and you get as far away from here as you can."

Claire swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, she made sure to keep the gun at the exact angle Alice had placed it, trying to keep it steady, even though her whole body was trembling. It wasn't just that it was _Alice_ she was about to shoot, but the helplessness and desperation she felt in that moment reminded her so much of the incident with Slater. She felt vile at what she was being forced to do. It was nothing compared to when Alice had placed the gun at her own head before, then it had aimed to make her feel safe and in control.

She stared down at the vampire who was giving her all the assurance she needed with just one look. Alice wasn't going to die, Claire reminded herself, but they still had to make it look real for Carlos, she couldn't just pull the trigger like it didn't matter. How would she have behaved if Alice was really about to die?

"I think I love you." She senselessly blurted and wanted to kick herself for how stupid she sounded.

The vampire looked up at her and Claire mindlessly lowered her gun to her side at the magnificent smile she received. "You _think_?" Alice teased and Claire couldn't help but grin back at her.

"I _know_." She confidently corrected herself, having forgotten for a moment where they were as she got lost in Alice's enchanting eyes.

Two gunshots swiftly reminded her of reality though. The vampire's body jerked and Alice reached out and grabbed onto the waistband of Claire's jeans. She seemed to be trying to hold herself in place, savagely growling at the carpet as her chest heaved and her body shook with rage.

"Fucking kill her now or I will Claire!" Carlos shouted.

She felt the hold on her jeans slacking, one of Alice's hands lifting to take hold of the gun and placed it at the exact same spot it was before. She kept her head bowed and tilted the gun to the desired angle.

"Till my very last breath…" Alice whispered with her eyes closed not daring to look at Claire again.

Claire tried to stop from trembling, to keep the gun in place. She closed her eyes as well, and rolled her index finger over the trigger. She kept her eyes shut, turning her body to Carlos and away from Alice's laying on the floor. When she opened them again, Carlos looked even more livid than he had before, no doubt enraged by her declaration of love.

"Give Jill to me and _leave_." Claire snarled at him.

She wanted Carlos as far away from the now vulnerable Alice as possible.

He chuckled darkly. "Disassemble your weapon and slide it over here."

Claire did as instructed, knowing she'd need no weapon to take out her former friend. Carlos's life was forfeit. He didn't only threaten Alice, but Jill as well. He was nothing to her any longer, she would have her vengeance, _as was her right_.

"Build a fire." He demanded, nodding to the large fireplace in the corner of the parlour. He laughed maliciously at the instant panic on Claire's features that she just couldn't hide fast enough. "You think I'm stupid? You sure played me for a fool over the years Kid." He said angrily. "I'm gonna burn your demon lover until there's nothing left of her. I'm going to make you watch and then do the same to you."

"You swore…" Claire told him incredulously.

She'd never agreed with his borderline religious fanaticism, but she'd respected that he was at least devout in his beliefs. But now it turned out he was as big a charlatan as Alice had accused him of at the pub.

"You are no longer _my _Claire. She's taken you from me. You're _hers_." He grimaced in disgust. "You need to die too. My redemption will come from the cleansing of your soul."

She thought of Alice's words to her only hours before: '_Trust me, when they come for us, it will not be to persecute against some perceived moral misconduct, it has almost always ever been to procure for themselves what is rightfully ours._'

"I _am_ hers." Was Claire's resolute reply.

She'd never had any issues with dying. Shit happened, but now both Alice and Jill's lives were in her hands. She deliberately slowed her movements, feigning distressed apprehension, as she proceeded to slowly build the requested fire. She hoped that Albert or Luther would arrive, she just needed enough of a distraction to get Carlos away from Jill long enough for her to get to him.

She thought about the very specific position and angling of the gun, and she prayed that Alice's plan was to heal faster than Rain had. It was the only thing that made sense. She'd still not managed to bring herself to glance in the direction of the body. She didn't want to see Alice like that. It was already hard enough having to look at Jill. The head wound was pleading profusely and covered half of her face. Claire had to fight back the flashing images of Chris and K-Mart's blood covered bodies from taking over her mind completely.

She wouldn't lose yet another two people she loved.

She was distracted from her task by a loud thump and turned to see Jill lying on the floor. Carlos stepped away from the unconscious doctor and kicked the pieces of Claire's Glock till they slid underneath a cabinet and raised his own gun at the redhead who was fixedly watching him.

"Stay back." He warned, slow walking closer to Alice as though she would jump up at any minute.

Claire tensed with each step he took nearer to Alice's seemingly fragile looking body. There wasn't enough blood and brain matter then there would usually be with a human. Even less than Rain had. Carlos knew this too. Alice had already started healing. It had him engrossed. He kicked the vampire hard in the stomach to check whether she was faking, then lifted his gun to seemingly shoot the brunette in the head again.

Claire's hackles rose at the sound of his boot hitting Alice's ribs. It wasn't intentional, not driven by rational thought, just the instinct to protect Alice. She charged forward with an animalistic cry and tackled a surprised Carlos to the ground, his gun fell from his hand as he tried to stop the impact, and slid away from them.

She hit him blindly in the few seconds it took for him to regain the upper hand. He was larger and as skilled as his partner, with a lot more experience. And for the first time in three years, Claire's anger and resentment wasn't the most powerful in the room. He attacked her as though she herself was the 'demon' that laid unconscious a few feet away.

He hated what she'd become, what she'd driven him too. Why couldn't she have chosen to let _him_ in? He had noticed how much better and happier she'd been over the last few weeks. It made him hopeful that they would finally be able to be together. But then she'd told him she was gay, and he'd seen the vampire's possessiveness when she'd been abducted. Claire had been fucking that demon all this time, right under his nose!

He cried out viciously as he kneed Claire so hard in the gut she staggered backward, slamming up against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. She could feel he'd already fractured at least two of her ribs at that stage.

"Why'd you do this to me?" He hoarsely pleaded, looking close to tears even through his rage.

Sparkling blue eyes filled with hatred glared at him from a bloodied face. "This has fucking _nothing_ to do with you." She hissed then groaned as she sat upright, clenching her jaw in pain and anger. "You were my friend, my partner. I trusted you with my _life_." A flash of hurt passed quickly before her expression hardened again. "Now you're nothing to me!" She snarled at him, wincing as she started getting to her feet again, using the wall as support. "You can kill me, or threaten to, I don't give a shit. I love _fucking_ women. Always have, always will. You're fucking delusional beliefs won't change that." She laughed bitterly, as Carlos looked as though he was about to spontaneously combust right in front of her. "I'm going to kill you for what you did to them, or I'm going to die trying." Claire promised, intent on postponing Alice's trip to the pyre, hoping the vampire would wake at least in time to save herself and Jill. "And if I fail, Albert Wesker will find you." She grinned crazily and propelled herself toward Carlos again.

Though Claire was by far the worst off physically, she had gotten in quite a few hits, the man's left shoulder had been dislocated and she tried her best to focus there. But for each of Carlos's heavy blows that hit her, Claire had to land at least three to do an equal amount of damage.

A particularly violent punch to the chin, had Claire seeing stars as she spun and fell onto her knees. She spat out the blood pooling in her mouth, not knowing if it was the result of a cut on her tongue, a missing tooth, or a lung that was punctured by one of her broken ribs. She was growing nauseous from trying to swallow it all down.

In spite of the fact that she hadn't an inch of strength left to counter his next attack, she sat back on her haunches and grinned maniacally while blood streamed from a cut on her brow, over a bruised cheek and swollen bottom lip.

Carlos too looked like he'd been beat up by an entire gang, though he was still standing upright, readying himself for Claire's next attack.

"Fuck you Carlos." She sneered, baring blood covered teeth and then a gunshot fired straight through Carlos's heart.

Claire collapsed onto her back, trying to feel out the damage inflicted on her body as Jill rushed to her side. All the redhead could discern though, was _pain_. _Everywhere_.

"… Need to leave." Claire mumbled.

"It's fine Claire, he's bleeding out. He won't hurt you anymore." Jill was silently crying at the state her friend was in.

"No." Claire weakly argued, clumsily pushing at Jill to leave. "Alice… dangerous…" She muttered.

She'd wondered why Alice had been so insistent that Jill and Claire leave and not Carlos, then she remembered what Alice had said about Rain being a danger to Claire when she woke. If anything Rain had always been a danger, but hadn't dared do anything to Claire because of Alice. So why had the vampire been so determined to get the two of them away from each other and Rain to a 'secure' room. It could only mean that when vampires woke up they weren't entirely prone to reason. Claire saw it in Alice's insistence that they leave. But then what about the previous time Alice held a gun to her own head? Did it mean she wouldn't be a danger? Or did it mean that Alice never believed Claire would actually shoot her?

The detective decided to play it safe for Jill's sake.

"Alice is still out, but she has a strong pulse. She'll be fine." Jill tried to offer her reassurance. "She's already started healing." The doctor's amazement at that was completely overshadowed by her worry for Claire.

"She… gonna… kill us." Claire gargled and started coughing violently.

Jill gingerly moved Claire onto her side, so she wouldn't choke on her own blood.

"Lay still okay? I'm gonna call an ambulance and get Alice's medical bag." Jill seemed reluctant to leave Claire but got up, gauging the extent of her injuries.

"Albert…" Claire whispered as the last of her adrenaline dissipated and she was left fatigued and in absolute agony.

Jill had barely left when Claire, through blurred vision, saw the figure in her LBD abruptly sit up. In spite of the danger, she was relieved to see Alice alive. Both she and Jill were safe, she hadn't lost anyone this time round.

_Fuck Carlos_.

The vampire's low aggressive purring sounded like a loud predatory warning to everyone in earshot. In a flash she was on Carlos's body, her fangs ferociously tearing into his neck. She fed noisily, sounding much like Rain had that night Claire had caught them. Alice was all animal and Claire hoped that Jill wouldn't come back until the vampire was sated. But knowing her friend, she would be rushing in at any moment to fuss over Claire.

"Don't hurt Jill." Claire mumbled softly and Alice's head snapped up, the entire bottom half of her face drenched in dark blood that dripped down her chin as she stared at Claire with dark feral eyes. "I taste better." She laughed madly and started coughing again, hoping it was enough of an invitation for Alice to drain her before she got to Jill.

Most of Carlos's blood lay spilled on the carpet, she wasn't sure how much Alice would need until she was herself again.

The vampire rose slowly, but was standing above Claire a second later and roughly lifted her to her feet by her shoulders. Claire cried out at the pain stabbing across her battered body at the sudden movement.

She looked up at Alice through hooded eyes, but there was none of the affection there usually was in the vampire's stare, only a primal hunger that should've frightened Claire, instead it comforted her, that it would be Alice to end her life. It was an absurd thought and she wondered how badly she was injured to think it in the first place.

A familiar soft purring started in the vampire's chest that made Claire grin lazily as she felt Alice's agile tongue licking over her bloodied face.

"_Mine_…" Alice viciously growled and bared her teeth.

The last thing Claire heard was the terrified scream of her best friend, before everything went black.

….

**A/N: I've been setting Carlos up as the main antagonist since Chapter 2. Didn't want to make it too obvious though. Did his freakout make sense? I thought I was gonna have Alice turn Claire into a vampire, but I'm conflicted now. A tragic love story seems almost preordained given Claire's unfortunate history. Then again, maybe she finally deserves happiness. I don't a fuck know. Will post final chapter tomorrow. Thanks to everyone still reading!**

**S: It was quite intense wasn't it? Lol went back to some action this chapter and tomorrow I'll wrap it all up. Thanks for riding this out with me:)**

**Angelsgir: Well it's not over just yet… Was the chapter really that short? It's one of the longest of the chapters for this story… You're the second person to say that it was though, maybe it just felt short? Maybe 'cause you wanted Alice and Claire to keep on going a little bit longer there at the end hey? (wink wink nudge nudge) LOL Thanks for your reviews, they're always appreciated!**

**StarrH: I'm a shameless flirt with a gutter brain: _of course_ I meant cunning linguist as you read it lol I was thinking of finishing _our _boat after this story concludes. Have already registered it under the name: The SS Stalexis, 'cause, you know, it's our _ship-_name (_snorts and chuckles lamely_). But since you would like another RE FF, I've started thinking of another I can write during my long and perilous journey to the American East Coast (where you'll preferably be waiting alone and not with your teacher friend/ex, which chapter did you show her? Curiosity sake lol). It would most likely be written diary style. Title: Going Steady: Zombies at sea.**

**Webminky: I find it really disturbing that you seem more concerned with the mayo than you are with me confessing that I would easily roast you over an open flame and cannibalize the shit out of you… But if it's like a dying wish or whatever, I'll forego the mayo and just sprinkle you with some seawater for flavour;) I'm glad you got Chapter 14, I was worried it would be too much. Claire is exhausting to write. 'You are what you are, and I am yours' loved that summed it up perfectly. Bob with fangs is an extremely frightening thought. I think you should make him burst into flames if he goes into sunlight, forcing him to stay in a _dark, damp and warm_ place during the day ;-P Can't wait to read it! I mailed you days ago, don't start with me next week that it's my turn and then it's actually you who haven't replied. Mwah my Amnesic Monkey, keep on trucking.**

**Redtulips3: I'm just using the characters and setting this time round. But now that you mention it, it's kind of a fucking brilliant idea for a continuation of this story! Just imagine: Vampires vs. Zombies, outbreak can still happen, Project Alice is a superhuman in any case. Hmmm definitely worth the consideration XD Glad you're enjoying it in spite of the complete AU-ness of it all. Thanks for the review!**

**Aliceabernathy96: I think we all want a purring Alice. I was sure everyone would want one after Chapter 8 already lol don't mind Chaz, I found the review more amusing than offensive. And this is a public platform, you can get involved all you want :) Thanks for all your reviews!**

**Avienda: hahaha claibernathy! What about Alifield? Lol I love vampire movies and series, but there's always something about the vampires that I don't like. For example, the gorgeous Salma Hayek turning reptilian in From Dusk Till Dawn, the vampires exploding into a gooey disgusting mess when they die in true blood. Or them turning ugly and becoming dust in Buffy, etc. etc. All great shows but just a thing or two here and there I could've done without. Personal taste of course. I love Anne Rice's vampires most though. The movies don't even come into the same league as the books.**

**Tlc125: Hey Shorty! She did fuck'em up real good indeed lol I don't speak inches (more a metres and centimetres kinda girl), but I think I'm like 9 inches taller than you or something, which is A LOT. Will google later to confirm then tease you about it next time. I've tried my utmost to fix as much as I could for Claire. She's accepted Alice, and she's started to accept herself. And now I'm considering killing her. I'm such an ass. Are you a teacher? Or do you just like to measure your calendar along with the school holidays? lol**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Nothing that can hide you now**

She could never quite get used to how quiet the Arklay Mansion was. Before it was just a mild distraction, quickly forgotten once she and Claire started talking. Now though, it just reminded Jill even more of the redhead's absence and more specifically of that horrible day.

Impulsively she curled further into Luther's side, trying to soak in the comfort of his big strong arms caringly wrapped around her. They were sat in one of the living areas of the manor. The parlour had been completely refurbished after Alice had demolished it with her bare hands upon realising she could not kill Carlos herself. Jill still flat out refused to go in there regardless. She could hardly manage walking through the front door without an almost debilitating anxiety taking hold of her.

"She's not gonna come out of that room is she?" Jill half told half asked Luther. "It's been almost a month."

They'd had to make up a fake story about the incident, 'the brutalized body of one of Raccoon City's most revered homicide detectives was discovered floating in the harbour little over a week ago'. It had been Albert Wesker's idea of course – Alice might as well have been dead too for all the help she was with that. They made it look like the Triad's retaliation against the system, for Ada Wong's 'unfortunate demise in the correctional facility'. Jill hated how easily the vampires could just cover up the truth without consequences. Was it not for Luther keeping her sane, she would've screamed _bullshit_ in the town square at the top of her lungs.

"You know it was Claire who insisted I learn how to use a gun." Jill inadvertently laughed and sobbed simultaneously. "I hate the fucking things, but she wanted me to be able to protect myself if I ever needed to." Her eyes were burning as she desperately tried to swallow down the painful lump that's been stuck in her throat for the last few weeks.

She removed herself from Luther and determinedly stood from the couch; she wasn't going to cry again. She had woken up crying that morning for fuck's sake. It was getting late and she still had to go get ready at her house. That's where she and Luther spent the majority of their time now.

Jill wasn't sure how she was going to face everyone at the funeral. All the fucking questions, everyone expecting her to be sad and not so fucking _angry_. She couldn't help but feel she could've prevented it. She'd felt increasingly uncomfortable around Carlos for the last year. How possessive he would get around Claire. Claire of course, hadn't noticed a thing; still stuck in her grief and disinterested in the world at large.

"I'm going now!" She yelled furiously up the stairs, knowing the vampire would be able to hear her just fine. "You better fucking be there or I'm coming back here and dragging you out that fucking room myself!"

Her voice broke even through her anger. She missed her friend. She missed Claire. She _needed _Claire… Claire was the only that could understand what she was going through. Luther got up and gently guided her out the house, offering as much support as he could. He said nothing though, as he knew that in no way can you replace a girl's best friend.

…..

Alice lay on her back on the carpet of her bedroom floor, an arm covered her eyes as her face pulled into a grimace as she winced and cried out hoarsely as her body violently shook. The vampire tried to remember when last she'd felt so completely worn and tired. She knew that she needed to regain some semblance of control, but she just couldn't in that moment. Not even Jill Valentine's desperate cries could break her from her stupor.

Feeling both exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed wasn't something Alice was used to. She always had control, she was always _in _control, yet Alice felt utterly powerless as she lay on her back, whilst her body continued to convulse in a desperate attempt to release the flood of emotion building up inside of her.

She was covered in numerous bite marks that were already healing and moaned then grinned widely as another punctured her left breast. She laughed out loud - her voice even more gravelly from her nearly perpetual exclamations of pleasure - as the constant purring she'd been hearing for the last three days grew even louder in her ears. Lifting her arm from her eyes and lazily fluttering them open, she smirked as the sparkling blue orbs of her Beloved came into view just above her face.

Claire bent down and kissed her passionately, bruising both their lips even further, but Alice couldn't even begin to care. It had been three weeks since Claire woke and the redhead hadn't left the room since. Alice stayed with her, only having leaving the estate once to feed and the room for brief instances to attempt to reassure Claire's disgruntled best friend.

But Alice knew that that day Claire needed to attend Carlos's funeral for the sole purpose of being there for Jill. Aside from Alice, the redhead had refused to see anybody else. Jill was suffering with her own demons. She'd been held at gunpoint, her life threatened, her best friend was almost beaten to death and she had never killed someone before. Let alone someone she'd known for so long.

Alice firmly grasped at Claire's shoulders and gently pushed her back to look into Claire's eyes, trying hard not to get distracted by the wanton hooded gaze burning back at her.

"Jill needs you…" She whispered, feeling guilty for not insisting on this sooner.

She'd of course mentioned it before, but had chosen to succumb to Claire's deflections. Alice knew how selfish it was, but she had willingly gotten lost in her Beloved's attentions. Claire had made her feel like the centre of her world for the last few weeks. It was addictive and Alice had shamelessly allowed herself to become devoured by it.

Claire sighed and was up in an instant, sauntering nakedly to Alice's vanity and leaned against it, crossing her arms over her bared breasts. It wasn't that she'd all of sudden lost her shyness along with her humanity. The things that she and Alice had been doing for the last couple of weeks just made it silly for her to even worry about covering herself. They had become intimately aware of every part of each other's bodies.

"What if I hurt her?" Claire asked looking horrified at the mere thought of it.

"You will not hurt her." Alice assured with the same calm patience she'd used the first few times Claire had expressed her fear. "You had not hurt Tammy." Alice reminded, getting up and walking toward the shower.

She had 'borrowed' Tammy from her brother so that Claire would be able to feed without concern. The redhead has had to adapt quite fast, but was still handling her newfound vampirism a whole lot better than Alice had anticipated. It had only taken a little bit of coaxing... Alice had bitten into Tammy's wrist to help ease the secretary's pain. Claire had no venom as yet, she wouldn't have for some time still. It was her body's way of ensuring Claire had enough control when feeding to efficiently use the venom as she pleased.

Alice had offered Tammy's wrist to Claire who summarily took a step back in revulsion, in spite of her flaring nostrils and darkened eyes. Alice had stepped toward Claire then, wrapped her arms around the conflicted redhead and kissed her deeply. After tasting Tammy still on Alice lips and greedily sucking as much as she could off Alice's tongue, she'd been a lot more than eager to accept the wrist Tammy had willingly held out to her afterward.

"Come, let us clean up and prepare for the funeral."

Claire dragged her feet but followed nonetheless, still softly purring. Alice's naked, swaggering hips were incentive enough to blindly trail after her. Claire lasted all of five minutes under the warm spray before she had Alice pinned against the glass, kissing her fiercely in her neck. Alice laughed as she flipped them around, kissed Claire senseless, and rushed out the shower. She was still way faster than Claire and by the time the redhead thought to give pursuit, Alice was already dressed in her sexy lingerie and it did absolutely nothing to stay Claire's ravenous libido.

A low rumble resonated from Claire's chest as she watched a smirking Alice dress in one of her signature LBD's. The vampire tossed one to Claire as well, along with some underwear and the redhead reluctantly pulled the items of clothing on still softly growling her frustration. Alice walked up behind her and slowly dragged the zipper of Claire's dress up her back. The sensual gesture had the redhead feebly whimpering, before she turned around to tackle Alice again, but the brunette had her pinned against the closet wall an instant later, holding Claire's wrists just above her head.

Claire breathed raggedly as the incessant purring in her chest deepened.

"I can't even fucking control_ that_ Alice." She grumpily roared, referring to the vibrations that hadn't stopped since she discovered her reformed voice box had provided her with the ability to do so.

"You _will _soon enough, be patient with the changes your body is undergoing." She tried to reassure her Beloved, whose fangs had already started to sprout into tiny canines.

It was a gradual process. One she was sad she couldn't have discussed with Claire _before_ she had been forced to change her. Claire's left lung had been punctured during her fight with Carlos. He was aware of a previous injury that left Claire's formerly cracked ribs vulnerable to attack. The redhead had suffered massive internal bleeding. Alice had stood with Claire in her arms, feeling her breath slowing and her heartbeat fading…

She had waited for the ambulance for as long as she possibly could, but knew that even if they arrived while Claire was still alive, she wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time. Running at high speeds was instantly dismissed as it would've done more damage than good to the detective's injured body. She'd frantically asked Jill whether they should take the car but one look at Claire's best friend's sorrowed face told the vampire that it was already too late. Claire was literally dying in her arms.

So Alice had shared blood with Claire, her venom facilitating the process, and hoped that Claire would forgive her for making the choice on her behalf. Alice was sure that even if they had discussed it and Claire had told her she did _not_ want to be vampire, Alice _still_ would've done it. She wasn't prepared to lose Claire after all that they had been through. Especially not after finally hearing Claire passionately profess that she was _hers_.

The redhead had woken a few days later, her body having needed to repair all the damage Carlos had inflicted before the change could even properly begin. Claire was growing stronger and faster by the day, but it would take a lot of time for her to get anywhere close to Alice's abilities. She would need practice, and she would need more human blood.

"What if she rejects me, because of what I am now?"

"And what exactly are you _now_?" Alice asked defensively.

"I'm a monster." Claire answered without a second thought.

Alice let go of her wrists and stepped out of the closet and back into room. It was only then when it struck the redhead what she had said and subsequently implied about Alice and she rushed after the brunette.

"I'm sorry Alice, I didn't mean –

Claire was cut off by a loud snarl as Alice pinned her to the carpet this time, straddling her waist.

"You are still Claire Redfield!" She hissed down at the redhead, their faces inches apart. "Your memories are still intact, you _are _the same person! You did not _die _and become something else._ My_ blood kept your heart from stopping; _my_ blood repaired the damaged inflicted on you while you_ protected_ me. It is _my_ blood that flows through you now; that is changing you and reconstructing your body to be more resilient. But you are undeniably still the exact same woman; _frightened_ of letting down the people whom you love." She took a deep steadying breath. "Do not dare tell me you are a_ monster _ever again."

Alice rose from her position and pulled Claire up too. For a few tense moments it was only Claire's involuntary purring audible in the suddenly quiet room, before the redhead tentatively stepped forward into Alice's space and tenderly nuzzled into the brunette's neck.

"And I'm still an idiot who says and does the wrong things when she panics." Claire groaned in remorse, remembering how often she had hurt Alice during her frequent panic attacks.

Alice smiled easily, wrapped her arms around Claire and held her closer. She understood that Claire was dealing with a lot. It was a major adjustment to make, not to mention the specifics of why the redhead ended up as vampire to begin with.

The brunette stared over Claire's shoulder at their reflection in the vanity's mirror. Both of them wearing a little black dress, both still barefoot, but Alice was determined to get Claire into a pair of heels she'd bought on her last outing to 'dinner'. She smiled at the picture they made, at how easily Claire's body melted into hers, how comfortably the redhead fit against her like they were two puzzle pieces finally come together. It had been that easy and comfortable from the start, but nowadays, Claire just let it happen without thought and she never tensed when she realised it, nor did she pull away.

"Am I ever gonna stop wanting to have sex with you?" Claire shyly murmured against Alice's chest. "I don't seem to have any control over it. I mean, is that normal?"

Alice laughed before she shifted slightly from the embrace, not letting go however, to look into Claire's stunning face.

"I have changed only two before you. Though a heightened state of emotion is common with your body feeling invigorated, and yes sex is often a manifestation of that new found power, I have to admit that I have never heard of any young vampire waking up quite so… _amorously_." She grinned as Claire's face reddened.

"Fuck, so it _is_ just me then?"

"You do not hear me complaining." Alice wrapped her in a hug again, pressing her face into silky red hair before resting her cheek against Claire's head. Her expression grew serious as she carefully thought over her next words... "A lot has happened, my love." She started cautiously, the endearment slipping out as though she'd been using it for years even though it was her first time voicing it. She briefly smiled when Claire squeezed her waist in acknowledgement. "You were betrayed by someone you trusted, who turned on you in the worst manner. You were in fear of losing Doctor Valentine –

- And you." Claire added, listening attentively to every word Alice was saying. It was true, there was no way in hell she would've let either Jill or Alice die.

"And me." Alice conceded with a smile and tenderly place a kissed against Claire's hair. "As a human you used alcohol as a distraction…" Alice trailed off as a scowling Claire pulled away from her, but the brunette decided to continue on. "And I believe that as a vampire, you have turned to a more… _lascivious_ coping mechanism." She finished, holding Claire's heated glare. "You are stronger than you believe yourself to be Claire. You can be so fearless when protecting others, perhaps it is time you start focusing on yourself. Let us go to the funeral. Nobody need see us. Say your goodbyes to the past. Show Doctor Valentine that you are doing well. And though I have been gloriously satisfied these last few weeks, I do wish to start the beginning of our future together. That is, if you would still have me of course?" She gave Claire her trademark lopsided grin, wearing her trademark LBD, and the redheaded vampire wondered if anyone had ever managed to say no to _that_.

She rushed forward again, kissing the brunette passionately, pugnaciously purring throughout. Of course she still fucking wanted Alice, there had never been a time that she'd _not_ wanted the vampire.

"I'll go to the funeral," She said breathless from the effort of pulling away from Alice's lips, "if you can teach me how to stop_ this_," She motioned to her vibrating chest, "from happening in public."

….

Jill's heart almost leapt out of her chest and she grinned widely, in spite of herself when she – along with most gathered - noticed_ Claire_ and Alice, looking absolutely gorgeous as they walked hand in hand toward the gravesite. They'd arrived just as everyone finished congregating around the grave, having missed the service in church entirely. She watched Claire trying very hard to fight the smile from spreading when she locked eyes with Jill.

Thankfully the service started and those with enough tact turned to give their attention to the priest. The vampires stopped a few yards away as though they were wary of intruding, but Alice gave Claire's hand a gentle squeeze and walked forward until she stood next to Luther and hooked their arms together.

On the other side of the tall man, Jill looked back at Claire who was nervously wringing her hands in front of her, still rooted to the spot. She realised then that they were apparently swopping. She sent Alice a grateful smile, to which the vampire responded with a grin and a wink, and went over to join her very awkward looking friend's side.

"I forgot how nice you looked in a dress." Jill complimented as they stood side-by-side, facing ahead, pretending to listen to the sermon.

"It's _has_ been a while hasn't it?" Claire responded despondently.

"Thank you for coming. I know how much you hate these things…" Jill genuinely apologised.

Of all the days she had threatened Claire to come out of that room, she was surprised the redhead had chosen the one that would cause her the most painful memories.

"Well," Claire smiled awkwardly, "I love you a lot more than I hate funerals." Her expression hardened determinedly, as she tried to brush the statement off as something they usually confessed to one another. But the detective and the ME never were the touchy-feely kinda friends.

Jill grinned brightly nonetheless, but didn't say anything on Claire's touching remark. "It's good to have you back Claire." She murmured instead.

"I'm sorry, this month's been a bit… _weird_." It was an understatement, but she had no doubt Jill understood. She ducked her head in shame, knowing she could've let Jill in at least partially through it all. Jill's always been there, she didn't deserve to get shut out like that.

"Wow, an 'I love you' and an apology." Jill chuckled again at Claire's bashful scoff - momentarily forgetting where they were – and hugged Claire toward her, who was very much taller in the stilettos she was wearing. The dress Jill could understand, but those heels… She'd let the teasing go for now though, just being there with Claire was already making her feel so much better.

"I didn't mean just after this month…" Jill elaborated, both women still resolutely looking ahead of them and not at each other even though they had their arms around one another. "It's good to have _you _back again."

Jill was even more uncomfortable than Claire, they hadn't spoken like this for a very _long_ time.

"I'm working on it." Claire smiled, knowing what Jill was saying, but also knowing she's still got a lot of issues to sort out.

Her eyes wandered over to Alice as they always tended to do, scanning over the statuesque frame. Up the length of Alice's long legs and settling on a tight, round ass. Claire felt herself starting to purr again. Alice had sat with her for a while that morning; Claire finally able to listen long enough for the brunette to help her without interrupting the lesson by ripping Alice's clothes off. She could control it to an extent now, but it was a conscious effort, one she quickly forgot about when she looked at Alice.

"I'm not even gonna say anything about that." Jill chuckled at how red Claire had turned at her involuntary slip. "_For now_…"

Jill had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing when Claire - with a deadpanned expression - turned to Jill and hissed, baring her tiny fangs. The redhead bit her own lip and pretended to focus back on the funeral again, but regretted it instantly as she felt an aching pang in her chest when Carlos's mother let out a loud sorrowful wail.

_It was always the ones left behind who suffered most. _And didn't Claire know it.

She instinctively held Jill tighter and could feel the rueful brunette trembling against her. Both of them had met Mrs Olivera a few times. She was a lovely woman. She didn't deserve to go through this. No mother did.

"The guilt was overwhelming after I killed Alexander Slater." Claire's voice, though soft, had an edge to it that wasn't directed at Jill. It was the first time she'd said the words out loud. "And it took me all this time to realise that I wasn't feeling guilty that I'd killed him, but that I was feeling guilty because I felt no remorse."

Jill gave Claire's waist a squeeze to show that she was listening, silently urging her friend to continue.

"I feel no regret for killing him." Claire honestly confessed for the first time since it happened. "He was a menace, he was about to do it again that day. I take comfort in that I stopped him. I feel proud that I could get him back for what he did to Chris and K-Mart." She clenched her jaw, wondering how her friend would take _those_ words.

"I'm glad you killed the fucking bastard." Jill muttered, sounding almost angry at being reminded that he once existed.

Claire smiled in relief, she didn't know how she could ever have doubted Jill's understanding. They'd known each other for over two decades.

"You saved my life Jill."

"Alice saved –

- Alice wouldn't have been able to change me if I was dead." Claire interceded. "And you saved Alice too. And you saved yourself." The admiration in Claire's voice was evident. "Carlos sealed his fate the instant he chose to press that gun against your head and threatened your life." Claire said, and it was eerily reminiscent of Alice's speech to Ada Wong.

Jill glanced over at the vampire, who'd turned her head at Claire's words, Alice too looked surprised and the doctor knew that Claire hadn't been told the details of Alice's interrogation. The vampire turned to look forward again though and Jill couldn't gather how Alice felt about it.

"I know both Alice and I would've killed him that day given the chance, and if you hadn't stepped in, and we were unable to, Albert would've found him. Only difference then would've meant that we'd all be dead." Jill considered Claire's explanation. "You didn't kill Carlos. _Carlos_ killed Carlos. What you did was _save_ us and I'm grateful for that. I respect you for that."

Jill couldn't help but smile and turn to full out hug Claire to her. She didn't suddenly feel happy about it, but it did ease the guilt considerably. "You've started talking a lot more since you became a vampire." Jill teased and Claire huffed before playfully shoving her away.

"Alice is all about the big profound speeches and shit. Was bound to rub off on me." Claire smirked as the vampire turned and along with Luther walked toward the two friends. Alice's stare was smouldering as she looked at Claire with an intense combination of love and pride and_ lust_.

"Have we stayed a sufficient amount of time Jill?"

Alice's eyes were still fucking Claire as she spoke, so the ME was extra surprised to hear her actual name coming from Alice's lips.

"Err… I guess." Jill frowned.

She didn't want to come in the first place, but it would've looked suspicious if both she and Claire hadn't shown up. To the world they'd all been close friends.

"We may continue this at home, after I have a _private_ moment with Claire." Alice's voice was laced with arousal and it had Claire purring so loud it turned a few heads. It was definitely a good idea to get out of there and leave Carlos's friends and family to pay their respects without any unintentional interruptions.

"Sure thing… _Alice_. We'll see you at the house." Jill bit down her laughter, quickly grabbing Luther's hand and pulling him away from the two vampires who looked as though they were just about ready to tear each other's LBD's off right in front of god and everyone.

…..

It took every ounce of self-control that Claire had to not jump Alice right then and there. As if suddenly realising the torment she was putting the younger vampire through, Alice deliberately tried to turn her expression neutral. It helped somewhat and enabled Claire to walk next to the vampire as they headed back toward the Lamborghini.

But Claire decided that she was on a roll today, and after feeling pretty chuffed at having stifled her purring - in spite of the distracting wetness between her legs, caused by the even bigger distraction walking next to her - she indicate with her head for Alice to follow her in a different direction.

Alice obliged without question, stopping as Claire took off her heels because, vampire or not, walking in them was a hazard on the soft grass.

"I dunno how you can look so fucking comfortable in these death traps all the time." Claire muttered as she hooked them onto her fingers to carry the rest of the way. Actually enjoying the soft blades of grass beneath her feet.

"It all comes with practice dear." Alice smiled.

"Dear?" Claire lifted a brow with an amused grin.

"I was merely trying it out." Alice responded casually, like she indeed was just conducting and experiment. "You do not like it?"

Claire thought about it and shrugged. "I dunno. Makes you sound old." She smirked.

"I am old." Alice bluntly replied, as if just confirming a fact.

"Well it makes me feel _young_. Like I'm your child or something." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Well we cannot have you feeling like that now, can we?" Alice smirked and reached out to hold Claire's hand. "I'm very proud of you, my darling." Alice's eyes twinkled with mirth and admiration.

Claire blushed. "That's a little better, but still makes us sound like we've been married forever."

"What is wrong with sounding like that?"

"You're not gonna propose or anything are you?" Claire lifted a sarcastic brow, having learned not to put anything past Alice.

"Why would I do something like that?" Alice looked genuinely confused and Claire couldn't help but take offense.

"You don't want to marry me?"

"What difference would it make?" Alice asked her with her puzzled look growing more intense. "We would still be us, we would still feel the same… Honestly Claire, I never pictured you as someone to want that sort of thing, so I do apologise for my misguided assumption and will procure a ring as soon as possible."

Claire's eyes widened. The vampire looked dead serious and she really wasn't sure how the hell to respond. She loved Alice, but she'd honestly never considered getting married. Alice was right, she was one of those people who really didn't give a fuck about that sort of thing.

"I-I… Alice… I don't think –"

She was cut off by Alice's amused laughter ringing across the cemetery. Claire growled and a secondly later had the brunette pressed up against a nearby mausoleum wall. She kissed Alice hard, her latent arousal surfacing easily. Alice moaned and flipped them, pressing her body into Claire's, making the redhead even wetter.

It was as Alice kissed down her neck that her eyes fixed on a caretaker, a few yards away, standing next to a wheelbarrow, gawking at them, his mouth literally hanging open. Unable to control herself, Claire snarled at him, loud enough that he could hear how inhuman she sounded. Alice turned and glared at him till he was out of sight and finally returned her attention to a still furiously growling Claire.

"I could've killed him." The redhead frantically whispered her surprise as her chest continued to rumble in agitation. "I _really_ wanted to and he technically didn't do anything to deserve that."

"You wanted to. But you would not have."

The rumbling stopped and Claire studied the brunette sceptically.

"How do you know?"

"Because I was not holding you back, was I?" Alice smirked and Claire blushed.

She _had_ just been standing there growling like a rabid dog. But she hadn't acted like she wanted to. Her emotions were still all over the place, killing him for being a pervert seemed a bit drastic. She probably would've beaten him up a little if leaving Alice's side didn't seem like such an impossibility in that moment.

"Let's go home, _Sweetheart_." Alice tried again, and Claire's smile grew on her face again.

"'_My love_' is my favourite so far, by the way." She grinned. "And I just want to make a stop first, before we go."

Alice again didn't ask any questions as she allowed Claire to lead her through the cemetery toward a very familiar location.

…

Claire's mind was racing with a million thoughts at a time. Everything from Carlos's death, to the new, yet surprisingly easy dynamic in her and Alice's relationship, and of course the fact that she was a freaking vampire. It was strange, but she didn't feel any different. Well she did, physically and emotionally come to think of it. But like Alice had said, she was still very much the same person, her emotions just seemed a little _heightened_ at times.

Claire could practically feel Alice's blood humming inside of her. It made her feel warm and tingly and invincible. She certainly had a whole lot more stamina than before, but other than that, nothing much seemed to have changed. Her constant arousal around Alice wasn't anything new either, only now she seemed less able to control it. Or _want_ to control it for that matter.

She guided Alice to the shared headstone of her Mom and Dad. The vampire said nothing as Claire took the time to remember them, and wonder what they would've thought if they saw her then, as a fucking _vampire_. Alice assured her that she never died because her heart never stopped, but she felt _reborn_ nonetheless. Claire guessed that had mostly to do with the gorgeous woman standing at her side rather than the whole becoming a vampire thing.

"Mom, Dad, this is Alice, she's my vampire girlfriend." Claire grinned as Alice softly chuckled. "She's helped me through a lot of things… And for the first time since you guys died, she's got me feeling _hopeful_ and _happy_ and _safe_." Alice beamed as Claire spoke. "I miss you guys so much and I hope that you are somehow able to see that things are starting to turn around for me. Life's getting better. I'm getting better. So don't worry, I'm doing great... I love you." She smiled softly before she tugged at Alice's hand again.

Alice allowed Claire to lead her the short distance to her brother and sister's graves next.

"Hey guys," She started taking a deep breath.

Her spontaneous catharsis had only slightly to do with getting closure, 'cause that would still take some time, so it was mostly to tell Alice things she still couldn't quite manage to articulate properly.

"I know I've been a little depro over the years… Well a lot depro actually." Claire corrected with a self-deprecating chuckle. "So I just wanted to say sorry if I had you concerned, but not to worry anymore, cause I'm happy now. With Alice." She casually nodded toward her companion, letting go of Alice's hand and enfolded her arm around Alice's slender waist and pulled the lanky brunette into her side. Claire was grateful that the vampire was keeping quiet and humouring her, even though Alice's green eyes were twinkling with mirth.

"I guess I won the bet hey big bro? I managed to land the hottest girl in the world." She squeezed Alice affectionately as she heard the vampire chortling at the compliment. "It shouldn't really come as a surprise though, I've always been the chick magnet in the family." Claire feigned her smugness much to Alice's growing amusement. "They just tend to fall at my feet without me even trying you know." She sighed dramatically like it was a heavy burden to bear. "_Sparkles_ over here actually stalked me for months until I was forced to give in." Claire continued and the vampire couldn't hold back her laughter any longer.

Claire looked up at Alice, smiling at her with all the love that she felt; done hiding it and analysing it.

"So what if she sometimes growls out 'Mine' like some sort of Neanderthal." Claire quoted keeping her gaze on the brunette. "It's kinda cute and makes me feel _wanted_." She smiled sweetly at Alice still shaking with quiet laughter. "She and I have definitely had our ups and downs, you guys know how stubborn I can be." She said seriously as Alice sobered and gazed back at her. "But I hope I can make her happy enough so she won't grow tired of me too soon." Claire whispered her insecurity.

"Never." Alice whispered back, pulling Claire closer and kissing her deeply.

Claire's purring started up again and she pulled away, biting her lip and blushing bright red at how easily she could get lost in Alice.

"Oh, and I purr now too." She laughed. "Still tryna get _that_ sorted out." She sighed, but still smiled genuinely as she stared at the graves again. "We gotta go now. But I promise to come see you guys soon." She glanced at the wilted flowers that were fresh when she'd last visited. It felt like almost a lifetime ago. "I know you like lilies K, I'll tell Alice to bring you some next time, unless she's done trying to suck up to you now that she has me." Claire joked, having figured out who had left the mysterious flowers there in the first place. The gesture had Alice written all over it just from its thoughtfulness and the sheer grandiosity of the arrangement.

Alice laughed loudly, only confirming Claire's suspicion and the redhead could just stare at how truly beautiful the brunette was before turning back to her siblings.

"I love you guys." She said softly and took Alice's hand again to lead her back toward the parking lot in the distance.

They walked in silence for a while before Alice let go of Claire's hand and placed an arm around Claire's shoulders, and the redhead mechanically placed one around her waist again, leaning comfortably into the brunette's frame. Alice placed a gentle kiss on the side of Claire's head, subtly inhaling the redhead's scent with a contented smile pulling at her lips.

"Everything I am is yours." Claire whispered, matching the smile on Alice's face, remembering Alice's wish from that night she'd snuck into Claire's house. She didn't understand it then. But she did now.

"As I am yours, my Beloved."

…

THE END

….

**A/N: '_Some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love… Some call me Maurice, 'cause I speak, of the pompitous of love…"_ I'm so cheesy, no way I could've killed Claire Haha The more difficult question was whether to turn her into a vampire or not. You might notice Claire reiterating some of Alice's beliefs. That's not because Alice persuaded her or anything, Alice just made it easier for Claire to accept that side of herself. It's what Alice recognized the first time she saw Claire. A kindred spirit if you will. I purposely had Claire take off the heels, because she has no intention of becoming a copy of Alice. That's not what_ either_ of them want. Just FYI.**

**But yah, that's Beloved, done and dusted. Thanks so much for all you guys following along with this story for the last two weeks. It's been fun and exhausting and I loved every second :-D**

**Tlc125: Thanks for noticing how the title of chapter 14 was a reoccurring theme in the text body. Since it's also the song title I couldn't resist. No one else seems to care for my song references lol I appreciate you getting it. Are all your students all taller than you? I'm kidding! (not really, that was a serious question). As you can see, I do believe in happy endings XD Glad you made it through another FF with me. MWAH**

**StarrH: so no moral dilemma, 'cause remember, nobody has to die. And Alice is resourceful enough to keep Claire well fed, and she wouldn't force Claire into anything. I liked Carlos in The Mummy… That was him in there right? You used to work on boats? Were you a fisherman? A pirate? I'm happy to hear we have so much in common… Now is probably not the best time to mention that I get seasick… But I shall persevere! I'll just keep in mind that you'll be standing on that random spot on the East Coast, listening to Norah Jones – Turn me on, on repeat (I insist that you do that) and I'm almost certain, I won't pass out and fall overboard into the ocean.**

**Guest: No sad ending, just happy endings! Like those Thai massages lol**

**Narnia: Like the nickname ;-P You were right, Claire didn't mind being turned into a vampire and Jill was the only person whose reaction she was concerned about.**** Hope you enjoyed the ending! Mwah**

**WhiteBelette: Haha love how you demanded I not kill Claire and then asked me really nicely just after that. Well there wasn't a single person who'd actually wanted Claire to die, and I really didn't have it in my heart to do so. I agree, the Volturi are badass and I don't even mind that they sparkle lol My issue is more with the absurd diet, and need to be human when they are in fact dead. Like zombies really. I'll try and get my hands on 'Only Lovers Left Alive', thanks for the referral :-D**

**Webminky: Extortionist. I'm not talking to you until you produce said 'sexiest vamp Alice/Claire fic'.**

**Angelsgir: thanks for the R&R's on yet another of my RE FF's. I really appreciate it :-D and Claire's alive and happy and sexy and horny all the time… Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**Avienda: Lol such passion! Claire's alive! 'Blue Jeans' is one of my favourite RE FF's. I don't really hate Carlos, the only time I get a bit irritated by him in the movies is when he's anywhere near Alice lol That domestic clone scene in Retribution made the movie even worse. ****As for your theory on how Claire could possibly be turned, that was actually a serious consideration at one point. But I didn't change anything 'cause you 'put it out there', but I hope you're happy at least with how it all turned out? ****You are absolutely right. The Cullens are ridiculous, not Twilight. But I do have a massive lady boner for Rosalie hehehe Thanks for your reviews! Mwah**


End file.
